Greenpease East Asia - Press Releaseshttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/This RSS feed contains all the press releases about Greenpeace East Asia.en-cn(c) 2018, GreenpeaceThu, 22 Feb 2018 07:28:02 Z5climate & energy/forests/oceans/other issues/toxics23663a9e-88b0-43d0-a7b1-ac2f137f6deehttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2018/PM25-in-Beijing-down-54-nationwide-air-quality-improvements-slow-as-coal-use-increases/PM2.5 in Beijing down 54%, but nationwide air quality improvements slow as coal use increasesBeijing, 11 January, 2018 -- Levels of toxic PM2.5 in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 surrounding cities declined 33.1% year on year in the fourth quarter of 2017, new analysis from Greenpeace East Asia shows. However, average PM2.5 concentration fell just 4.5% nationwide in 2017, the lowest rate since the start of China's ‘war on pollution’.<p>“China’s national air pollution action plan has brought massive reductions in pollution levels and associated health risks, but policies favouring coal and heavy industry are holding back progress. Nationwide, 2017 saw the slowest air quality improvement on record,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Huang Wei.</p><p></p><p>Average PM2.5 concentrations fell by 33% from 2013 to 2017 in 74 cities for which data is available. Improvements were most significant in 2014 and 2015, due to a decline in coal consumption and new emission standards for coal-fired power plants. Improvement slowed in 2017, as an economic stimulus for heavy industry spurred a rebound in coal, cement and steel.</p><p></p><p>Due to the heavy industry rebound, PM2.5 in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 surrounding cities increased 6% during the first three quarters of 2017, with rustbelt provinces Shanxi and Hebei jumping 23% and 13%. In the last quarter of 2017, PM2.5 levels in the 28 cities dropped 33.1%, a decline that resulted in roughly equal parts from favourable weather conditions and a six-month air pollution action plan that went into effect in October.</p><p></p><p>Outside the scope of the regional action plan, air pollution in some provinces intensified in 2017. Annual PM2.5 averages in Heilongjiang, Anhui, Jiangxi and Guangdong rose by 10.4%, 7.4%, 4% and 5.3% respectively, as output in polluting industries such as metals and coal-fired power surged.&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>NO2 levels, an indicator of fossil-fuel burning, fell an average of 10% in Beijing, Tianjin and 26 surrounding cities but increased by approximately 6% in the rest of the country in the fourth quarter. This reflects the shift of industrial output outside the 28 cities after the winter action plan went into effect.&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>Levels of ozone pollution, which causes lung damage, symptoms in asthma patients, and respiratory and cardiovascular diseases, are on the rise. [1] Summertime average ozone levels jumped 25% year-on-year in the 28 cities and 10% nationwide.&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>The increase resulted from record industry output, unusually hot weather and a reduction in particle pollution levels. Average ozone exposure in China rose 17% between 2014 and 2017, an increase which caused an estimated 12,000 premature deaths per year.</p><p></p><p>In 2013, China’s the State Council implemented the Action Plan for Air Pollution Prevention and Control, which set targets for PM2.5 reduction, capped coal consumption and mandated renewable energy growth, among other measures. [2] The first phase of the action plan spanned 2013 to 2017.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace calls on China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection to release its guidelines for the second phase of the air pollution action plan as soon as possible.</p><p></p><p>“The second phase of the air pollution action plan must be as ambitious as the first and should include targets for ozone reduction. China’s energy transition is already underway, but economic policies that favor coal are putting our health on the line,” said Huang.</p><p></p><p>Summary of findings available <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/Climate%20and%20Energy/Analysis%20of%20air%20quality%20trends%20in%202017.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></p><p></p><p><br />Notes to editors:</p><p></p><p>[1] Health Risks of Air Pollution in Europe HRAPIE Project : New emerging risks to health from air pollution – results from the survey of experts. / HRAPIE Project. Denmark : World Health Organistion, 2013.</p><p></p><p>[2]&nbsp;<a href="http://www.mep.gov.cn/gzfw_13107/zcfg/hjjzc/gjfbdjjzcx/hjczzc/201606/t20160623_355606.shtml" target="_blank">http://www.mep.gov.cn/gzfw_13107/zcfg/hjjzc/gjfbdjjzcx/hjczzc/201606/t20160623_355606.shtml</a></p><p></p><p><br />Media contacts:</p><p></p><p>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | <a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Thu, 11 Jan 2018 02:00:00 Zclimate & energyenewport286f5a6a-2445-4523-98e4-df824af2f8cfhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2018/As-Huawei-seeks-to-enter-US-market-climate-commitment-sorely-lacking---Greenpeace/As Huawei seeks to enter US market, climate commitment sorely lacking - GreenpeaceBeijing, 9 January 2018 - With Huawei expected to announce the US launch of its flagship model, the Mate 10 Pro Phone, at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas today, Greenpeace calls attention to the company's poor climate record. <p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Huawei’s appalling environmental record is out of step with the commitment to renewables shown by its peers in the US market. If Huawei is serious about becoming a global smartphone leader, it should take note and commit to 100% renewable energy throughout its supply chain.” said Greenpeace East Asia Climate and Energy campaigner Ye Ruiqi.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Only 1% of Huawei’s electricity supply is powered by renewable energy [1] while the company’s CO2 emissions have doubled in the past five years to 1,585,369 tons in 2016- equivalent to a third of San Francisco’s total carbon emissions.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The tech giant, which is the world’s third largest smartphone maker, recently scored a D grade in Greenpeace’s Guide to Greener Electronics.[2] The October 2017 report found that of the world’s three top smartphone brands, Huawei was the only one to report no information on its supply chain greenhouse gas emissions, and is yet to set any goals to transition to renewable energy.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>This contrasts starkly with the commitments made by its competitors in the US market, such as Apple, which committed to transition its supply chain to 100% renewable energy in 2016. [3] It has committed to procuring 4GW of renewable energy globally by 2020, half of which will be installed in China.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A 2016 survey on consumer market trends commissioned by Greenpeace in the USA, Russia, Mexico, China and South Korea showed that consumers increasingly consider sustainability when choosing new phones. Most notably the survey revealed that 83% of American millennial consumers surveyed said that when choosing a new phone, it is important that the device is manufactured with renewable energy. </span></p><p></p><p><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The next generation has made their voices heard- they want no part in supporting the dying fossil fuel industry ”, said Ye Ruiqi. </span></p><p></p><p><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace calls on Huawei to commit to 100% renewable energy throughout its supply chain and set concrete goals for its transition to a clean energy supply.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] </span><a href="http://www-file.huawei.com/-/media/CORPORATE/PDF/Sustainability/2016-Huawei-Sustainability-Report-cn.pdf?la=zh"><span>http://www-file.huawei.com/-/media/CORPORATE/PDF/Sustainability/2016-Huawei-Sustainability-Report-cn.pdf?la=zh</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/greenerguide"><span>http://www.greenpeace.org/greenerguide</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] </span><span><a href="https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-joins-re100-announces-supplier-clean-energy-pledges/">https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2016/09/apple-joins-re100-announces-supplier-clean-energy-pledges/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Anna McGurk, Communications Officer, anna.mcgurk@greenpeace.org, phone +86 150 1130 6609</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Tue, 09 Jan 2018 06:51:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurka8725073-c0bf-4b48-bb5e-e4315d34a9a0http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Chinas-ban-on-imports-of-24-types-of-waste-is-a-wake-up-call-to-the-world---Greenpeace/China’s ban on imports of 24 types of waste is a wake up call to the world - GreenpeaceBeijing, 29 December 2017 - China’s upcoming ban on the import of 24 types of waste will send a wake up call to waste exporting countries and increase pressure to find more sustainable ways to dispose of and recycle waste, as well as tackle the issue at source by reducing the production of plastics and other disposable goods.<p dir="ltr">Greenpeace East Asia plastics campaigner Liu Hua said:</p><p></p><p>"This regulation will send shockwaves around the world, and force many countries to tackle the ‘out of sight, out of mind’ attitude we've developed towards waste"</p><p></p><p>"The world cannot continue with the current wasteful consumption model based on infinite growth in a finite world. Rather than find new places to export waste, governments and the private sector must find ways to simply reduce the amount of waste we are creating."</p><p></p><p>The regulation was announced in July 2017 and bans 24 types of waste under four categories: certain types of mining slag, household waste plastics, unsorted waste paper and waste textiles.[1] It comes into force on 1 January 2018.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Since the 1980s China has become the world’s largest importer of waste. In 2012, up to 56% of global exported plastic waste ended up in China. Imported plastic waste alone reached a peak of almost 9 million tonnes in 2012.[2]</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">The dependency of exporter countries on China’s market is striking. An&nbsp;<a href="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/">Unearthed investigation</a>&nbsp;published earlier this month has shown that the UK alone exports an average 65% of its plastic waste to China.[3] On Thursday, the Irish Times reported that more than 95% of Ireland’s plastic waste was shipped to China last year.[4]</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">According to the Unearthed investigation, anticipation of the ban this year has led to an uptick in British waste exports to other countries, such as Malaysia and Vietnam.[5] However, no other countries’ waste industries have the same capacity as China’s and the governments of waste exporting countries will ultimately be forced to face up to their waste problems on their own soil.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">China’s ban on the imports of 24 types of waste should also serve to propel better waste disposal and recycling measures in both exporting countries and China itself. Ultimately, however, the world’s waste crisis must be tackled at source.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Greenpeace urges industries and corporations that manufacture and market plastics and other disposable products to take responsibility for their products through their entire life-cycle, take responsibility for the environmental costs and invest in transformative solutions and alternatives to put an end to the current unmanageable levels of waste produced every year.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p>[1] 《国务院办公厅关于印发禁止洋垃圾入境推进固体废物进口管理制度改革实施方案的通知》<a title="http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-07/27/content_5213738.htm" href="http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-07/27/content_5213738.htm" target="_blank">http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2017-07/27/content_5213738.htm</a><br />[2] Global Recycling Markets: Plastic Waste, International Solid Waste Association, <a title="https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/galleries/Task_Forces/TFGWM_Report_GRM_Plastic_China_LR.pdf" href="https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/galleries/Task_Forces/TFGWM_Report_GRM_Plastic_China_LR.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.iswa.org/fileadmin/galleries/Task_Forces/TFGWM_Report_GRM_Plastic_China_LR.pdf</a> ; UN Comtrade Database, <a title="https://comtrade.un.org/" href="https://comtrade.un.org/" target="_blank">https://comtrade.un.org/</a><br />[3] <a title="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/" href="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/" target="_blank">https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/</a><br />[4] <a title="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/china-not-to-bin-our-rubbish-anymore-so-what-next-1.3339124" href="https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/china-not-to-bin-our-rubbish-anymore-so-what-next-1.3339124" target="_blank">https://www.irishtimes.com/news/environment/china-not-to-bin-our-rubbish-anymore-so-what-next-1.3339124</a><br />[5] <a title="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/" href="https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/" target="_blank">https://unearthed.greenpeace.org/2017/12/07/china-plastic-scrap-ban-crisis-uk-recycling/</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Anna McGurk, Communications Officer, anna.mcgurk@greenpeace.org, phone +86 150 1130 6609</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Fri, 29 Dec 2017 06:02:00 ZtoxicsTom Baxter963f500c-51b3-4e24-af3c-4cc2f20d69b3http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/forests/2017/Land-fill-project-in-eastern-China-threatens-survival-of-critically-endangered-spoon-billed-sandpiper---Greenpeace-report/Land fill project in eastern China threatens survival of critically endangered spoon-billed sandpiper - Greenpeace reportBeijing, 14 December 2017 – The survival of the IUCN critically-endangered spoon-billed sandpiper is under threat from a planned land fill project at Tiaozini, Jiangsu province, a Greenpeace East Asia report shows. Fewer than 700 spoon-billed sandpipers remain worldwide. [1] Greenpeace calls on Jiangsu’s government to immediately halt the project and to include the area within the province’s ecological red lines.<p></p><p></p><p></p><p>“What happens at Tiaozini could determine the spoon-billed sandpiper’s survival. Tiaozini is a critical stop on the spoon-billed sandpiper’s migration route from Myanmar to Siberia and is the most intact wetland ecosystem along the entire western Pacific,” said Greenpeace East Asia campaigner Zhang Jing.</p><p></p><p>“Over the past five decades, land fill projects have decimated China’s coastal wetlands, but momentum for conservation is growing. Tiaozini could represent a turning point for environmental protection in China.”</p><p></p><p>Tiaozini is located along the East Asian-Australasian Flyway, one of the nine major routes for migratory birds worldwide. [2] In addition to the spoon-billed sandpiper, it is also home to at least two other IUCN endangered birds.</p><p></p><p>In 2011, the Jiangsu provincial government initiated a decade-long land reclamation project at Tiaozini. In 2013, the government dropped the area’s designation as a nature reserve, allowing development to take place.</p><p></p><p>During the first phase of the project, completed in 2014, 6,750 hectares of land was reclaimed. However, Greenpeace research shows that less than two thirds of land reclaimed during the first phase of the project was in use as of June 2017. Before 2020, another 59,950 hectares are planned to be reclaimed at Tiaozini and nearby -- a total area that amounts to more than ten times the size of Manhattan.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace found that only 10.24% of the Tiaozini land fill project will be kept as ecological areas if development goes ahead as planned, a clear violation of a province-level regulation stipulating that 20% of the project area must remain as an ecological space. [3]</p><p></p><p>In February 2017, the State Council mandated that Jiangsu and 13 provinces draw up “ecological red lines” by Jan. 1, 2018. [4] Areas within the red lines are designated for protection. Tiaozini is not currently included in Jiangsu’s draft ecological red lines.</p><p></p><p>Between 1950 and 2000, 53% of the country’s temperate coastal wetlands were lost, along with 73% of mangrove forests and 80% of coral reefs. [5] Land fill is the primary factor behind this destruction. [6] Since 2006, an average of 13,000 hectares of land fill has been added to China’s coast each year. [7]</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace calls on the Jiangsu provincial government to include Tiaozini within the province’s ecological red lines. No construction or land fill should be permitted within the red lines.</p><p></p><p>“The spoon-billed sandpiper’s habitat must be included within Jiangsu’s ecological red lines. This is a natural resource that the world can’t afford to lose,” said Zhang.</p><p></p><p>Media briefing available <a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/forests/wetlands%20media%20briefing.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/forests/wetlands%20media%20briefing.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> [in EN]. Full report available <a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/forests/wetlands%20report.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/forests/wetlands%20report.pdf" target="_blank">here</a> [in CH].<br /><br /><br />Notes to editors:</p><p></p><p>[1] Clark N A, Anderson G Q A, Li J, et al. First formal estimate of the world population of the Critically Endangered spoon-billed sandpiper Calidris pygmaea. Oryx, 2016: 1-10.<br /><br />[2] http://www.eaaflyway.net/about/the-flyway/<br /><br />[3] Outline for the Development and Utilization of Mudflat Reclamation in Jiangsu <br /><br />[4] http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2017-02/07/c_1120426350.htm<br /><br />[5] http://www.paulsoninstitute.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Wetland-Report-CN-final.pdf<br /><br />[6] State Forestry Administration. China Wetland Resources (master volume). China Forestry Publishing House, 2015:138.<br /><br />[7] https://www.caixinglobal.com/2017-10-29/101162695.html<br /><br /></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Media contacts:<span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 |&nbsp;</span><span><a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk,&nbsp;pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Thu, 14 Dec 2017 02:00:00 ZforestsErin Newportf12ba417-4efb-4c39-9a9e-670271432163http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/2016-Singles-Day-clothing-sales-produce-258000-tonnes-of-CO2-emissions-Greenpeace/Singles Day clothing sales produced 258,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions in 2016: GreenpeaceApparel sales from China’s 2016 “Singles Day” internet shopping bonanza produced 258,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions -- equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 2.58 million trees, new research from Greenpeace East Asia shows. [1]<p dir="ltr"><span>“Singles Day is a catastrophe for the environment. Not only does it create huge amounts of waste, but the CO2 emissions from manufacturing, packaging and shipping are enormous. One-click, disposable fashion is not a sustainable model for the future of retail,” said Greenpeace East Asia toxics campaigner Nie Li.</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Carbon emissions from online shopping are higher than from brick-and-mortar retail. [2] &nbsp;Greenpeace found that delivery of 2016 Singles Day orders produced 52,400 tonnes of CO2, equivalent to the CO2 absorbed by 524,000 trees. In China, the use of cell phones and computers to place online orders produced 3.22 million tonnes of CO2 in 2015, or an average of 8,800 tonnes of carbon per day.</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>The recycling rate of packaging materials remains low. Nationwide, less than 10 percent of paper, cardboard and plastic packaging used in delivery is recycled. [3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In China, clothing comprises the largest portion of online retail sales, at 28.5 percent. [4] China’s textile and clothing industry is ranked third out of 41 industries in terms of volume of wastewater discharge. [5] Twenty percent of China’s rivers and lakes have been contaminated as a result of dying, printing and treatment from the textile industry. [6]</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Singles Day, which was reportedly started by a group of Nanjing University students in 1993 in celebration of singledom, was co-opted by online shopping giant Alibaba in 2009. [7] &nbsp;In 2016, Alibaba’s Singles Day sales climbed to </span><span>US$17.8 billion, and it’s now the biggest shopping day in the world</span><span>. [8]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges that manufacturers create more durable products and invest in closed-loop production. At th</span><span>e same time, consumers worldwide have the choice to purchase clothes that last longer, to buy second hand items, and to repair clothing instead of throwing it away.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“As consumers, the simplest thing we can do is to buy less and wear our clothes for longer. It takes 2700 liters of water to make one T-shirt, so buying a used shirt instead of a new one can save as much water as the average adult drinks in three years. There is growing discussion in China about sustainability, but this needs to be reflected in how we buy and make things,”</span><span> said Nie Li.</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br /><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1]&nbsp;&nbsp;See&nbsp;<a title="full report" href="http://210.6.198.8/cache/www.greenpeace.org.cn/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/%E7%BB%BF%E8%89%B2%E5%92%8C%E5%B9%B3%E3%80%8A%E8%B4%AD%E7%89%A9%E5%8F%8D%E6%80%9D%E5%AD%A3%EF%BC%9A%E7%BD%91%E8%B4%AD%E7%9A%84%E7%A2%B3%E6%8E%92%E6%94%BE%E5%8F%8A%E5%85%B6%E4%BB%96%E7%8E%AF%E5%A2%83%E5%BD%B1%E5%93%8D%E3%80%8B%E6%8A%A5%E5%91%8A.pdf?ich_args=91a0e63b7e09abc93af3c26affb353b1_1_0_0_4_5a020a89d0c3dcef148b1f93d384985c9f16827a4eef6d3e880bdc0f2a02422f_985600e781d86c700faa6890f06ae566_1_0&amp;ich_ip=" target="_blank">full report</a>&nbsp;[in CH]:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] Weideli D, Cheikhrouhou N.,</span><span> Environmental Analysis of US Online Shopping</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] CIECC, </span><span><a href="http://www.ec.com.cn/article/pthj/wlcc/201608/11278_1.html">http://www.ec.com.cn/article/pthj/wlcc/201608/11278_1.html</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><span>iiMedia Research,</span><span> </span><span><a href="https://baijia.baidu.com/s?old_id=690661">https://baijia.baidu.com/s?old_id=690661</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[5] Ministry of Environmental Protection (2017), </span><span>2015 State Of Environment Report</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[6] &nbsp;Raybin, A, </span><span>Water Pollution and Textiles Industry</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[7] </span><span>Singles’ Day: China’s Very Own Black Friday,</span><span> The New Yorker, </span><span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/singles-day-chinas-black-friday">https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/singles-day-chinas-black-friday</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[8] </span><span>Alibaba’s Singles Day sale worth record $17.8bn,</span><span> Financial Times<br /></span>https://www.ft.com/content/8aa13ac6-a7b1-11e6-8b69-02899e8bd9d1</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong><br />Media contacts:</strong><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | </span><span><a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p><p></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p>Wed, 08 Nov 2017 02:00:00 Ztoxicsenewporta7099633-ef48-46c8-8233-a42fc8146364http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/Green-bond-financed-coal-to-chemical-plant-in-China-will-emit-millions-of-tons-of-CO2---Greenpeace/“Green” bond financed coal to chemical plant in China will emit millions of tons of CO2 - GreenpeaceBeijing, 17 August 2017 - On 16 August Chinese media reported that a new coal to chemical plant in Shanxi province will receive 1.5 billion RMB (USD 224 million) worth of green bonds.[1] Greenpeace East Asia calculations estimate that the new plant will release about 1.9 million tons of CO2 per year. That is equivalent to about one sixth of the carbon emissions reductions China achieved through the closure of thermal coal power plants in 2014.[2]<p dir="ltr"><span>This is the second coal-based project to receive a green bond, after the issuance of a RMB 800 million green bond to a new combined heat and power coal plant construction project in Zhejiang province in May 2016.[3] Greenpeace East Asia estimates the Zhejiang project will emit about 900,000 tons of CO2 per year once it enters production.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“There is nothing ‘green’ about this project. With its enormous carbon emissions, the project will be a stain on China’s hard-earned climate leadership credentials,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Huang Wei.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Green finance is a powerful tool which could accelerate China's energy transition away from coal and towards renewables. We urge the Chinese government to reassess its green finance criteria and remove all possibility of coal project financing.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Shanxi coal to chemical project will be constructed by the Shanxi Jinmei Huayu Coal Chemical Company, a subsidiary of the Jinmei Group, China’s largest coal to chemical producer and a Fortune 500 listed company.[4] Once it enters production, the project aims to use 2.2 million tons of high-sulphur coal to produce 500,000 tons of methanol gasoline (MTG) per year. Secondary production will include 65,000 tons of Liquid Petroleum Gas (LPG), 60,000 tons of durene, 73,000 tons of sulfuric acid and 25,000 tons of ammonium sulfate.[5]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>China’s criteria for green bonds, managed by the National Development and Reform Council (NDRC) and the People’s Bank of China, currently include the construction of thermal coal and coal-to-chemical projects.[6]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The bonds issued to the Shanxi and Zhejiang coal-based projects amount to 2.3 billion RMB (USD 343.5 million). Though this accounts for just 0.7% of the total cumulative value of green bonds issued in 2016 and 2017 year-to-date [7], the issuance of green bonds to coal projects, especially new constructions and carbon-intensive coal to chemical plants, is a cause for concern for international investors.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[1] <a href="http://g2.m.cnr.cn/xml/523900987504101183_tt_20170815.html?tt_group_id=6453945894743441678">http://g2.m.cnr.cn/xml/523900987504101183_tt_20170815.html?tt_group_id=6453945894743441678</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[2] Calculations are based on the average CO2 emissions of a modern coal to chemical plant as calculated in 张媛媛，<a href="http://d.wanfangdata.com.cn/Periodical/hgjz201612045">《典型现代煤化工过程的二氧化碳排放比较》</a> 化工进展, 2016, 35(12):4060-4064. The calculations show that the new coal to chemical plant will emit between 17% and 30% of the carbon emissions reductions achieved through China’s closure of thermal coal power plants in 2014.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[3] <a href="http://upload.xh08.cn/2017/0420/1492655446991.pdf">《浙江嘉化能源化工股份有限公司:绿色公司债券绿色项目进展及环境效益 2016 年度报告》</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[4] <a href="http://www.fortunechina.com/fortune500/c/2017-07/20/content_286799.htm">http://www.fortunechina.com/fortune500/c/2017-07/20/content_286799.htm</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[5] <a href="http://g2.m.cnr.cn/xml/523900987504101183_tt_20170815.html?tt_group_id=6453945894743441678">http://g2.m.cnr.cn/xml/523900987504101183_tt_20170815.html?tt_group_id=6453945894743441678</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[6] For details of China’s green bonds criteria see: 《绿色债券发行指引》 &amp; 《煤炭清洁高效利用行动计划（2015-2020年）》</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[7] 《中国绿色债券市场现状报告2016》 第4页，气候债券倡议组织和中央国债登记结算有限责任公司联合编制 ; <a href="http://stock.eastmoney.com/news/1627,20170815766237745.html">《今年我国绿色债券发行逼近千亿》</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contacts:</strong><br />Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 156 5241 1229 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Thu, 17 Aug 2017 03:44:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxter8c90b6ef-77c9-414c-bdec-fc13afdec4fehttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/oceans/2017/Almost-one-third-of-Chinas-annual-fisheries-catch-is-trash-fish---Greenpeace/Almost one third of China’s annual fisheries catch is ‘trash’ fish - GreenpeaceBeijing, 31 July 2017 - 4 million tons of China’s total annual domestic fisheries catch is comprised of so-called “trash” fish - fish too young or too small to be consumed by humans - a Greenpeace East Asia investigation has found. This accounts for nearly one third of all catch and is equivalent to more than the annual catch of Japan. For Chinese trawlers, which account for about half of China’s total catch, the proportion of trash fish rises to 50% of catch. Catching trash fish on this scale is placing extra pressure on China’s already heavily over-exploited fish resources and causing further damage to an already stretched ecosystem.<p dir="ltr"><span>Though too small for human consumption, ‘trash fish’ catch is increasingly in demand from China’s booming aquaculture industry which processes the catch into fish feed. &nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“In the space of 50 years, China’s domestic catch has deteriorated from ‘low volume, high value’ mature and big fish to ‘high volume, low value’ juvenile and small fish. This is a classic case of fishing down the food web, and it is quite simply not sustainable. With the emergence of a huge market for fish feed made from ‘trash’ fish, it is imperative that the government better regulate this type of fishing practices, before it is too late for China’s ocean ecosystem,” said Rashid Kang, senior oceans campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“In a healthy and sustainable marine fishing industry, fish species should be allowed to mature before being caught, otherwise they are unable to reproduce and fast reach the point where stocks collapse.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia’s investigation found that 44% of fish species from a total of 218 species in 80 samples of trash fish taken from 22 ports along the Chinese coast were ‘edible and economic fish’, of which 75% of fish were juvenile. This demonstrates that the fishing industry is increasing pressure on the species most valuable to China’s food safety and the profits of the struggling industry.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In 2014 China’s aquaculture industry consumed 7.2 million tons of domestically caught wild fish as fish feed, larger than Indonesia’s entire annual catch.[1] An additional 5.1 million tons of fish feed are sourced from outside China. The industry grew 10 fold from 1986 to 2015 and now occupies more than 60% of global aquaculture production. This is creating a large and unsustainable demand for trash fish.[2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Professor. Yvonne Sadovy de Mitcheson, Swire Institute of Marine Science, University of Hong Kong, and advisor to Greenpeace’s report:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“How best to develop fish farming’s role as a contribution to food security and how best to use ‘feed’ or ‘trash’ fish and invertebrates can only be determined by better understanding the volumes involved and the possible implications of their use for the future health of marine ecosystems. Given China’s major importance globally, both as a seafood consumer and as a seafood farming nation, the question is extremely important and relevant.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“There is now an opportunity for the country to be a leader in sustainably produced seafood if it can find and maintain the right balance between human use and the health of the marine ecosystem it exploits.” [3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A historical analysis of catches in China’s domestic seas also shows a decline in the proportion of edible and economic fish and a corresponding increase in the number of juvenile and trash fish. According to official data, China’s annual marine catch has exceed the total annual allowance since 1994, and continued to grow. [4] The overfishing of China’s seas and the industry’s increasing reliance on uneconomic fish species is one of the forces encouraging Chinese fishing companies to invest in overseas fishing.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The report looks into the issue of trash fish populations from the perspective of both marine fisheries and the aquaculture industry. Greenpeace conducted one year of on-site investigation in the eight main fisheries provinces of China, collected 926 questionnaires from local fishermen and took 80 samples of trash fish from 22 ports. Desktop research into databases and statistical materials were also used to analyse China’s aquaculture industry and deduce the volume of marine fishery resources consumed by aquaculture,</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In order to tackle the problem of overexploitation of trash fish resources, Greenpeace East Asia recommends that the quantity of trash fish caught be reduced by enhanced regulations on mesh size, fishing gear, fish species size and the use of a quota system. The quantity of trash fish caught annually should be recorded and included in basic fisheries statistics. It is also important to develop more Marine Protected Areas in which young fish could more easily grow to maturity. At the aquaculture end, Greenpeace East Asia suggest that the government establish strict requirements for fish feed sustainability. In addition, China must strengthen its domestic fisheries management system in order to effectively tackle illegal fishing. The many legal loopholes in fisheries management need to be closed through unified regional management measures.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A media briefing of the report is available </span><a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/oceans/2017/Investigation%20into%20China's%20marine%20trash%20fish%20fisheries_GPEA%20Media%20Briefing.pdf"><span>HERE</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The full report (in Chinese) is available </span><span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.cn/nearly-4-million-tons-of-trash-fish-in-china-inshore-fishery-catch/" target="_blank">HERE</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A selection of images from Greenpeace East Asia’s fieldwork investigation are available </span><span><a href="http://media.greenpeace.org/shoot/27MZIFJXVRY86">HERE</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Greenpeace East Asia report, ‘Status of China’s Marine Trash Fish and Its Revelatory Implications for the Sustainable Development of China’s Marine Fisheries Industry’ and ‘Research Report on the Usage of Marine Fisheries Resources by China’s Aquaculture Industry’</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] Calculated based on data from ‘China Fisheries Statistical Yearbook’ and from the FAO ‘The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2016’.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] From Preface for ‘Status of China’s Marine Trash Fish and Its Revelatory Implications for the Sustainable Development of China’s Marine Fisheries Industry’</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] As released by China’s Ministry of Agriculure, </span><a href="http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/gbwxwfbh/xwfbh/nyb/Document/1540973/1540973.htm"><span>http://www.scio.gov.cn/xwfbh/gbwxwfbh/xwfbh/nyb/Document/1540973/1540973.htm</span></a><span>)</span></p><p></p><p><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer,&nbsp;</span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 156 5241 1229 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Mon, 31 Jul 2017 03:57:00 ZoceansTom Baxter9d3f3e8b-f2c6-4f5e-8b37-2ab14b22f94fhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/forests/2017/Illegal-mining-discovered-in-Chinas-last-remaining-green-peafowl-habitat---Greenpeace/Illegal mining discovered in China's last remaining green peafowl habitat - GreenpeaceBeijing, 12 July 2017 - Satellite imagery analysis and fieldwork conducted by Greenpeace East Asia have uncovered illegal mining and road construction in the Konglong River Nature Reserve in China’s southwestern Yunnan Province. The protection area forms part of China’s last remaining habitat of the CITES and IUCN Red List endangered green peafowl. The green peafowl’s population in China has fallen to less than 500, and it is listed as a class one protected animal. [1] Outside the reserve, hydropower facilities and agriculture also threaten the green peafowl’s habitat.<p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia calls for an immediate assessment &nbsp;of the green peafowl’s habitat and for the Yunnan provincial government to delineate ecological protection zones accordingly.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The mining activity in this area is in flagrant disregard of the law, endangering a protected habitat and contributing to the threat of extinction of one of the world’s rarest birds”, said Greenpeace East Asia forests campaigner Yi Lan.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The Yunnan provincial government needs to urgently draw up its ecological red lines to protect this internationally important bird. China and the world are watching.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The mine, located in the core zone of Konglong River Nature reserve in Shuangbai County, Yunnan Province, is operated by local miner Yinyang Mining Company. The operation includes mine shafts, roads and mining explosives storehouses, the construction of which are all prohibited under China’s Regulations on Nature Reserves, issued by the State Council in 1994. [2] Greenpeace also found that two roads servicing a hydropower project have been built in Konglong River Nature Reserve, one of which extends into the reserve’s core area.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In addition to conducting on-site fieldwork, Greenpeace used data from Global Forest Watch and high resolution remote sensing images from satellites Quick Bird and SPOT 6 to monitor and analyse the green peafowl’s habitat. [3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Under China’s guidelines on “ecological red lines” &nbsp;issued in February 2017 by the state council, all provinces must draw up ecological protection boundaries by 2018. Ecological functions within these boundaries must be protected from exploitation and damaging development. [4]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace calls on Yunnan’s government to initiate an immediate assessment of &nbsp;the green peafowl population and habitat in Shuangbai and Xinping counties and for ecological red lines to be drawn up based on this investigation to prevent any further threat &nbsp;to the endangered green peafowl population.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Moreover, as the host country of the fifteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, China should use this opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to protecting endangered species and their habitats via the ecological red lines mechanism.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>A media briefing of the report is available <a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/forests/2017/GPEA%20Media%20Briefing_Illegal%20mining%20discovered%20in%20China's%20last%20remaining%20green%20peafowl%20habitat.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>. The full report is available (Chinese only) <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.cn/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/%E4%BA%91%E5%8D%97%E7%BB%BF%E5%AD%94%E9%9B%80%E6%A0%96%E6%81%AF%E5%9C%B0%E5%8F%98%E8%BF%81%E7%A0%94%E7%A9%B6%E6%8A%A5%E5%91%8A.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Wen Yunyan et al., "</span><a href="http://www.airitilibrary.com/Publication/alDetailedMesh?docid=lydcgh201604015"><span>Monitoring of Green Peacock in Dinosaur River State Nature Reserve</span></a><span>", "Forestry Investigation Plan", Vol. 41, No. 4, August 2016.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] 《</span><a href="http://www.pkulaw.cn/fulltext_form.aspx?Db=chl&amp;Gid=10458"><span>中华人民共和国自然保护区条例</span></a><span>》 </span><a href="http://www.lawinfochina.com/Display.aspx?lib=law&amp;Cgid=10458&amp;EncodingName=gb2312"><span>http://www.lawinfochina.com/Display.aspx?lib=law&amp;Cgid=10458&amp;EncodingName=gb2312</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] </span><span><a href="http://www.globalforestwatch.org/">http://www.globalforestwatch.org/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[4]<a href="http://english.gov.cn/policies/latest_releases/2017/02/07/content_281475561612035.htm">http://english.gov.cn/policies/latest_releases/2017/02/07/content_281475561612035.htm</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer,&nbsp;</span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 156 5241 1229 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p><p></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p>Wed, 12 Jul 2017 06:13:00 ZforestsTom Baxter364494cf-d2c0-4af7-9419-9c277ad4b606http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/Cutting-Chinas-redundant-coal-power-capacity-would-provide-enough-water-for-27-million-people-in-water-stressed-areas/Cutting China’s redundant coal power capacity would provide enough water for 27 million people in water stressed areasBeijing, 5 July 2017 - Tackling China’s coal power overcapacity problem could save enough water to meet the basic needs of 27 million people in water stressed areas, a new report from Greenpeace East Asia shows. Despite a reduction in coal consumption since 2014, coal-fired capacity in areas of high water stress continues to increase. By 2020, more than 60% of the coal power industry’s water consumption is projected to take place in areas of high water stress. Greenpeace urges that China reduce coal-fired capacity by retiring plants in areas of high water stress and halting the planning and construction of new coal-fired power plants.<p dir="ltr">“Not only is the ongoing expansion of coal-fired capacity unnecessary, but it is increasing stress on already scarce water resources and complicating the transition to a clean, low-carbon power mix. Targeted capacity cuts in regions with high water stress would free up water for human consumption and economically productive uses, while also showing much needed global leadership when it comes to reducing reliance on coal,” said senior global coal campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Coal is an extremely water-intensive energy source, exacerbating China’s already severe water shortage. Although China is the world’s largest coal consumer, the country’s per capita water resources amount to only one third of the global average [1]. At the same time, coal power capacity in water stressed areas is projected to jump from 437 GW in 2016 to 527 GW in 2020.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>As demand for coal-fired generation stagnates, China’s coal plants have seen historically low utilisation rates, but more plants are still under construction. In 2016, 12.5% ​​of national coal power installed capacity (114 GW) could have been immediately eliminated with no risk of interruption to grid operations. By 2020 this figure is projected to increase to 213 GW, or 19 percent of national installed capacity.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace researchers determined the water consumption level and water stress category for each coal-fired power plant using the</span><span> World Resources Institute’s water stress mapping and CoalSwarm’s Global Coal Plant Tracker database [2]. </span><span>To establish the amount of redundant capacity, they estimated the quantity of coal-fired capacity needed for reliable grid operation in each province, based on peak power demand and installed capacity of different power generating technologies.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Following a two-decade increase in coal-fired power generation, coal consumption in China began to drop in 201</span><span>4 [3].</span><span> Starting in &nbsp;2014, authority to issue permits for coal-fired power plants was transferred from the central government to provincial governments [4]. Permitted capacity skyrocketed &nbsp;as province-level governments pursued short-term gains while longer-term economic and environmental concerns were sidelined.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Based on the report’s findings, Greenpeace urges that China reduce excess coal power capacity in high water stress areas by</span><span> 179 GW before the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period. </span><span>Small, water-cooled plants are the least water efficient and should be phased out first. </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Not only is coal the number one cause of smog, but it also guzzles a huge amount of water.&nbsp;</span>The potential to address water scarcity when cutting overcapacity has been overlooked in the past, which is something we hope our research can change,” said Myllyvirta.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong><br class="kix-line-break" /><br />The full report is available&nbsp;<a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2017/coal%20water%20stress%20report/Overcapacity,%20Over-withdrawal%20-%20How%20tackling%20coal%20power%20overcapacity%20can%20ease%20water%20stress_GPEA%20report1707051.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2017/coal%20water%20stress%20report/Overcapacity,%20Over-withdrawal%20-%20How%20tackling%20coal%20power%20overcapacity%20can%20ease%20water%20stress_GPEA%20report1707051.pdf">HERE</a>. Media briefing available&nbsp;<a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2017/coal%20water%20stress%20report/Briefing%20-%20Overcapacity,%20Over-withdrawal_GPEA1.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2017/coal%20water%20stress%20report/Briefing%20-%20Overcapacity,%20Over-withdrawal_GPEA1.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>.&nbsp;<br /><br class="kix-line-break" />[1] <a href="http://data.stats.gov.cn/easyquery.htm?cn=C01"><span>http://data.stats.gov.cn/easyquery.htm?cn=C01</span></a>, <a href="http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC">http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/ER.H2O.INTR.PC</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[2] <a href="http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/aqueduct">http://www.wri.org/our-work/project/aqueduct</a>, <a href="http://coalswarm.org/">http://coalswarm.org/</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[3] <a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/">China Coal Consumption Falls for Third Year Running - Energy Desk</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><a href="http://www.nea.gov.cn/2014-01/30/c_133085359.htm"><span>http://www.nea.gov.cn/2014-01/30/c_133085359.htm</span></a><span>; </span><span><a href="http://finance.sina.com.cn/china/20141118/102520848806.shtml">http://finance.sina.com.cn/china/20141118/102520848806.shtml<br /></a></span><a href="http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2014-11/18/content_9219.htm">http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/content/2014-11/18/content_9219.htm</a>; <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-03/19/c_1114698435.htm">http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2015-03/19/c_1114698435.htm<br /></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>* The following edits have been made to the report ‘Overcapacity, Overwithdrawal’ since its release on July 5, 2017. All data, analysis and conclusions remain unchanged.<br /></span>-Corrected legend typesetting error in figure 4 ‘Predicted Distribution of Coal Power Plants in 2020 in Mainland China with Baseline Water Stress of the Mapped Region’<br />-Adjusted scope and title of figure; clarified research area in footnote.<br />-Added figure 2 ‘Distribution of Operational Coal Power Plants in 2016 in Mainland China with Baseline Water Stress of the Mapped Region’<br />-Corrected typesetting error for footnotes 3, 12, 35 and 78. &nbsp;<br />-Corrected unit of measurement in table 7.<br />In case of any discrepancy in the report, the Chinese version prevails. (<span class="aBn" data-term="goog_1329767374"><span class="aQJ">August 1, 2017)</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Contacts:<br /><br /></strong>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | <a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Wed, 05 Jul 2017 02:00:00 Zclimate & energyErin Newport73ae1adb-b303-4fd7-ac5e-f0b68805186dhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Apple-Samsung-products-among-least-repairable-in-new-Greenpeace-assessment-of-tech-brands/Apple, Samsung products among least repairable in new Greenpeace assessment of tech brandsSan Francisco, 27 June 2017 - Fairphone, Dell and HP are the only companies that make spare parts and repair manuals available to the public, while products from brands such as Apple, Samsung and Microsoft are among the least easy to repair and upgrade, according to Greenpeace’s latest IT product guide.<p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia, in partnership with iFixit, assessed </span><span>over 40 </span><span>best selling smartphones, tablets and laptops launched between 2015 and 2017. Seventeen IT brands were represented in the study. The assessment is based on iFixit’s </span><span>repairability</span><span> score, which considers the time required to repair the product, the device’s upgradability and modularity, as well as the availability of spare parts and repair manuals.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Of all the models assessed, we found a few best-in-class products, which demonstrate that designing for repairability is possible. On the other hand, a number of products from Apple, Samsung, and Microsoft are increasingly being designed in ways that make it difficult for users to fix, which shortens the lifespan of these devices and adds to growing stockpiles of e-waste,” said Gary Cook, IT Sector Analyst at Greenpeace USA.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Improving the repairability of electronic products is technically achievable and brands should be prioritising this in their product design. As a first step, it’s critical that all brands follow in the footsteps of Dell, Fairphone, and HP and make repair manuals and spare parts publicly available.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>LG had once been a leader in designing its products to last, but its most recent smartphone has several design issues impacting its repairability. LG must review its product design to be more sustainable.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Some key findings of the product guide are:</span></p><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><strong>Trending away from repairability</strong>:</span><span> </span><span>Design complexity, combined with the practice of soldering or gluing separate pieces together, makes repairing time consuming. </span><span>Samsung and LG’s smartphones and Apple’s laptops have become increasingly less repairable. </span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><strong>Non-replaceable batteries:</strong> </span><span>Nearly 70% of all devices tested had batteries that were impossible or difficult to replace due to design decisions and the use of strong adhesives to affix the battery to the casing. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 smartphone and Apple’s Retina MacBook exemplify this bad practice, with batteries thoroughly adhered to the device panels. While the Note7 was not considered in this analysis, Samsung might have been able to avoid recalling millions of devices if the phone’s design had enabled easy battery removal. </span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Non-standard tools: </strong><span>To discourage user repair, non-standard tools are increasingly required for working with proprietary screws and other parts. Apple’s iPhone, Oppo's R9m, and Huawei’s P9 are just some of the devices that require special tools to conduct repairs.</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>No access to repair manuals or spare parts: </strong><span>Very few electronics manufacturers provide users with information about how to fix their products. O</span><span>ut of the 17 brands represented in the survey, only 3—Dell, Fairphone and HP—provide all spare parts and repair manuals.</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Electronics take a massive amount of energy, human effort, and natural resources to make,” said iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens. “And yet, manufacturers produce billions more of them every year -while consumers keep them for just a few years before tossing them away. E-waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams in the world. We should be able to make electronics a more sustainable part of our lives.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace is calling on the IT sector to design products that can be more easily repaired or upgraded and offer adequate post-sale support. This could be done by making repairing accessible and affordable, making spare parts, particularly batteries, displays and other components with high failure rates, available to customers for at least seven years and by promoting standards and laws that encourage product repair.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[ENDS]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] The scorecards and product guide can be found at: </span><span><a href="http://www.rethink-it.org/en/">http://www.rethink-it.org/en/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] A summary of findings can be found </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/How-Repairable-is-Your-Mobile-Device/"><span>here</span></a><span> and the factsheet </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/iFixitfactsheet.pdf"><span>here</span></a><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] Photos and video can be accessed here: </span><a href="http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJJT1MBE"><span>http://media.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJJT1MBE</span></a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Maria Elena De Matteo, Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia, phone: </span><span>+852-55749984, </span><span><a href="mailto:mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org">mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, </span><a href="mailto:pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org"><span>pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</span></a><span>, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Kay-Kay Clapp, Director of Communications, iFixit, kaykay@ifixit.com</span>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 27 Jun 2017 04:02:00 Ztoxicsamcgurk1ed90837-36c0-41d0-a705-e793333de744http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Nearly-half-of-Chinese-provinces-miss-water-targets-85-of-Shanghais-river-water-not-fit-for-human-contact/Nearly half of Chinese provinces miss water targets, 85% of Shanghai’s river water not fit for human contactBeijing, 1 June 2017 - Fourteen provinces failed to meet their water quality improvement targets during the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), a Greenpeace East Asia report released today shows. As of 2015, 85.3% of water in Shanghai’s major rivers was categorized as grade IV or worse, or unsuitable for human contact. In Tianjin, 95.1% of surface water fell under this category. Local governments must take urgent action to address the situation.<p dir="ltr"><span>“Current water pollution levels aren’t only an environmental hazard -- they’re a threat to public health. In recent years, the Ministry of Environmental Protection has placed significant emphasis on addressing China’s water pollution problem, but provinces must follow through on a local level for major improvements to be seen,” said toxics campaigner Deng Tingting. </span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">While water quality improved on a national scale during the first two years of the 12th Five-Year Plan period, improvements flattened off beginning in 2013. In eight provinces, more than half of water in major rivers was deemed unsuitable for human contact as of 2015. In 2015, the percent of total surface water that was deemed not usable for agriculture or industry (worse than grade V) in Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei was 39.9%, 65.9% and 30.2%, respectively [1].</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace gathered and analysed 145 sets of surface water data from 31 province-level environmental protection bureaus for the period 2011-2015. A province was determined to have met its water quality target if all surface water objectives were fulfilled. This is the first time data about the completion of water quality targets by each province has been made public.</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Under the Five-Year Environmental Protection Plan, provinces are required to set water improvement targets at the start of each five-year plan period [2]. In 2015 the State Council issued the Water Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan (also known as the “Water Ten Plan”), which states that provinces are responsible for meeting these water quality targets [3].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges that all provinces set and achieve ambitious water quality goals. Urgent action is needed from Shanghai and Tianjin in particular, both of which recorded extremely high water pollution levels. Provinces that have shown a decline in surface water quality, such as Inner Mongolia, Sichuan, and Shanxi, must take action to reverse this trend.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Provinces like Jiangsu and Anhui that saw significant water quality improvement over the 12th Five-Year Plan period provide a model for what is possible nationwide. Reduced reliance on chemical fertilizers, a move away from pollution-heavy industry and improved wastewater treatment systems can have a major impact on reducing pollution,” said Deng.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Full report available<a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/waterpollutionreport.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/waterpollutionreport.pdf" target="_blank"> HERE </a>(in Chinese). English media briefing available <a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/riversmediabriefenglish.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2017/riversmediabriefenglish.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a>. <br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" /><strong>Notes to editors:</strong><br class="kix-line-break" /><br class="kix-line-break" />[1] Surface water refers to rivers and lakes. For some provinces, only data from major rivers was available for analysis. Please refer to report for details. <br class="kix-line-break" />[2] <a href="http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2011-12/20/content_2024895.htm"><span>http://www.gov.cn/zwgk/2011-12/20/content_2024895.htm</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a>[3] <a href="http://chinawaterrisk.org/notices/new-water-ten-plan-to-safeguard-chinas-waters/"><span>http://chinawaterrisk.org/notices/new-water-ten-plan-to-safeguard-chinas-waters/</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | </span><span><a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></span><span><a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org"><br class="kix-line-break" /></a></span><span id="docs-internal-guid-25e14abf-614f-982c-48d8-d30f6f1cc7db"><br />Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Thu, 01 Jun 2017 01:39:00 ZtoxicsErin Newport69c17ca2-2c60-407e-8af4-579897fc86f9http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Cocktail-of-chemicals-being-released-from-Lianyungang-Chemical-Industrial-Park---Greenpeace-investigation/Cocktail of chemicals being released from Lianyungang Chemical Industrial Park - Greenpeace investigationBeijing, 25 May 2017 – A Greenpeace East Asia investigation at the Lianyungang Chemical Industrial Park in Jiangsu Province has identified 226 organic chemicals in air, soil and water samples taken in the vicinity of the park. Out of this cocktail of chemicals, only one quarter are subject to safety management as “hazardous chemicals” under current regulations. The chemicals found include 16 known and probable human carcinogens and three persistent organic pollutants (POPs), illegal under both Chinese and international law.<p dir="ltr"><span>Desktop research shows that the Lianyungang Chemical Industrial Park has already received close to 200 penalties for noncompliance with environmental standards, from both county and municipal level environment authorities.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The findings in Lianyungang are symptomatic of a much broader problem of lax management of the chemicals industry in China, the world’s largest and fastest growing.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Cheng Qian, Deputy Head of Toxics Campaign at Greenpeace East Asia, said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The chemical industrial plant in Lianyungang is showing shocking negligence towards safety. Workers, public health and the environment are all at serious risk of chemical harm.“</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Despite being the world’s largest and fastest growing chemicals manufacturer, China’s chemicals management is extremely lax. The chemical industry must transform the way it operates and the Chinese government must urgently adopt a sound chemicals management system to ensure that the industry does not develop as a ticking time-bomb.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>A total of ten samples were collected from the vicinity of the Lianyungang Chemical Industrial Park between September and November 2016. Greenpeace took five samples from wastewater discharges, two from a small river running across the industrial park and a town called “Duigougang”, and three air samples. The water and sediment samples were sealed in situ and sent to the Greenpeace Research Laboratory in the University of Exeter for analysis.[1] The air samples were sent to Analyse Labor Berlin for testing for VOC and organic compounds.[2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The chemicals industry in China has a registered turnover of RMB 8.7 trillion, and includes a total of 25,000 chemical enterprises, over 18,000 of which produce hazardous chemicals. The industry is estimated to grow at an average of 66% per year from 2012-20. There are currently 45,643 chemicals substances registered as produced, processed, sold or exported in China.[3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Since 2008, all new chemical projects have been required to locate in chemical industrial parks.[4] Rapid urbanisation over the last eight years, however, has meant that residential areas have crept ever closer to chemical parks.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Home to 6,300 chemicals manufacturers, Jiangsu province is the second largest chemicals manufacturer in China. 30% of manufacturers in Jiangsu are currently located in chemical parks, and the province plans to reach 50% by 2020.[5] A Greenpeace mapping of Jiangsu’s chemical industrial parks 1984 to 2016 shows the extent of their expansion in three coastal cities.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges the Chinese government to embrace an integrated and hazard-based approach to chemicals management, which should be fully aligned with the principles of sound chemicals management adopted by the United Nations (pollution prevention, precaution, internationalization of environmental and human health costs, and ensuring the public’s right-to-know).[6] Such a system must be precautionary and transparent, and promote the substitution of chemicals with green alternatives. Any new chemical industrial parks should be obliged to implement sound management practices and act as models to incentivise such practices. Moreover, legal instruments to ensure sound chemicals management is effectively implemented must be developed.</span>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to&nbsp;Editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">The full report is available <a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/PageFiles/299371/Big%20Bang_LYG%20report/Big%20Bang%20report_EN%20FINAL.pdf">HERE</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/greenpeace-science-unit-2/"><span>http://www.greenpeace.org/international/en/about/greenpeace-science-unit-2/</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] </span><a href="http://www.alab-berlin.de/"><span>http://www.alab-berlin.de/</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] ‘Inventory of Existing Chemical Substances (2013 Edition)’,</span><a href="http://www.zhb.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bgg/201301/t20130131_245810.htm"><span> http://www.zhb.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bgg/201301/t20130131_245810.htm</span></a><span>; ‘Supplementary Notice issued by the Ministry of Environmental Protection of China’, 2016, </span><a href="http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bgg/201603/t20160315_332884.htm"><span>http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/bgg/201603/t20160315_332884.htm</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] ‘Guiding Opinion of State Council’s Security Committee on Improving Work Safety of Hazardous Chemicals’, 2008, </span><a href="http://www.chinasafety.gov.cn/Contents/Channel_21135/2008/1007/199991/content_199991.htm"><span>http://www.chinasafety.gov.cn/Contents/Channel_21135/2008/1007/199991/content_199991.htm</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[5] ‘Plan of Guannan County for Rectification of Environmental Problems Found by Environmental Protection Inspectorate from Central Government’, General Office of CPC Committee and People’s Government of Guannan County, </span><a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-11/15/c_129364881.htm"><span>http://news.xinhuanet.com/politics/2016-11/15/c_129364881.htm</span></a><span>; ‘The official reply of Jiangsu Provincial Government to the Central Government Environmental Protection Inspection Comment’ </span><a href="http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201704/t20170428_413172.htm"><span>http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201704/t20170428_413172.htm</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[6] ‘Practices in the Sound Management of Chemicals’, UNDESA, Stockholm Convention, UNEP, 2010, </span><span><a href="https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&amp;type=400&amp;nr=41&amp;menu=35">https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?page=view&amp;type=400&amp;nr=41&amp;menu=35</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18811344861 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours) </span></p><p></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p>Sat, 27 May 2017 09:26:00 ZtoxicsTom Baxter9e0e2b5d-3e8f-4265-9a50-f6f8e540dc8chttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/Belt-and-Road-participants-call-for-full-implementation-of-Paris-Agreement/Belt and Road participants call for full implementation of Paris AgreementBeijing, 15 May 2017 -- Participants in China’s Belt and Road initiative have called on all parties that ratified the Paris Agreement to implement it in full, as part of a communique to be released following China’s Belt and Road forum. The document comes as top aides of US President Donald Trump clash over whether to quit the landmark climate accord.<p dir="ltr"><span>In reaction to the communique, Li Shuo, climate policy advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“As the Trump administration ponders its approach to the Paris Agreement, the signal from Beijing should be clearly noted. While China is taking an active stance on the global stage, a move to weaken the global climate regime will alienate the US. It will also harm the delicate bilateral relationship between Beijing and Washington.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The communique represents China’s latest effort to take on a larger climate leadership role. Last Tuesday, Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed to defend the Paris Agreement during a phone call with French President-elect Emmanuel Macron [2]. In January, Xi urged Trump to remain in the agreement during a speech at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum in Davos [3].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Last Friday, Greenpeace released a statement calling for environmental accountability to be prioritized within China’s Belt and Road initiative [4].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The statement urged that environmental impact assessments </span><span>be integrated into the Belt and Road initiative, that a wide range of stakeholders be included in the design of the evaluation process and that companies with poor environmental records abroad be named within China. </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Notes to editor:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1]</span><a href="http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/trump-paris-climate-agreement-decision/"><span>http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/trump-paris-climate-agreement-decision/</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></a><span>[2]</span><span><a href="http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-39861589">http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-china-39861589<br /></a></span>[3]<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-16/climate-experts-see-xi-touting-clean-energy-leadership-at-davos">https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-16/climate-experts-see-xi-touting-clean-energy-leadership-at-davos<br /></a>[4]<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/others/2017-/Sustainability-should-be-priority-for-Chinas-Belt-and-Road--Greenpeace/">http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/others/2017-/Sustainability-should-be-priority-for-Chinas-Belt-and-Road--Greenpeace/</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>Media contacts:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer<br /></span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | erin.newport@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9a14da01-0bd9-04f4-7bbd-43f96dd357ee"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, </span><span>pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</span><span>, phone: </span><span>+31 (0) 20 718 2470</span><span> (available 24 hours)</span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></span></p>Mon, 15 May 2017 11:21:00 Zclimate & energyErin Newport3a07597e-720f-4e9e-b660-b82c4c8a86f6http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/others/2017-/Sustainability-should-be-priority-for-Chinas-Belt-and-Road--Greenpeace/Sustainability should be priority for China’s Belt and Road- GreenpeaceBeijing, May 12 2017- On Sunday, 28 government leaders will meet in Beijing for the Belt and Road summit. As China embarks on its historic investment initiative, Greenpeace urges that environmental accountability be prioritized.<p dir="ltr"><span>“Shaping the Belt and Road initiative with the environment in mind is key to setting the new ‘China story’ right,” said Greenpeace campaigner Yixiu Wu. “The initiative should be used to promote renewable energy and environmental sustainability on a global scale.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges that environmental impact assessments be integrated into the Belt and Road initiative and that the results of these assessments be made publicly available.</span><span><br class="m_2434813809589925096gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="m_2434813809589925096gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span>“Companies with poor environmental records abroad should be named within China,” said Wu. “Moreover, including a wide range of stakeholders in the design of this evaluation system will strengthen its impact.”</span><span><br class="m_2434813809589925096gmail-kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>On Monday, four of China’s government ministries released the document, “Guidance to Promote the Construction of a Green Belt and Road” [1]. The document says building a “Green Belt and Road” requires input from various stakeholders in addition to the Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP). It also includes a proposal for finance mechanisms that would encourage investments aimed at tackling environmental challenges.</span><span><br class="m_2434813809589925096gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span><br class="m_2434813809589925096gmail-kix-line-break" /></span><span>“The document shows positive momentum for creating a Belt and Road initiative that reflects the global environmental crisis. The next step is implementing a system that turns this resolve into action,” said Wu.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Domestically, China’s energy transition is already underway. China is the world’s leading renewable energy manufacturer, and coal consumption has dropped for three consecutive years </span><span>[2].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Yet China remains the No.1 financier of overseas coal projects worldwide. Between 2007 and 2015, China’s banks invested more than USD 25 billion in coal projects </span><span>[3].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Given that more than half of China’s outbound investment is in the energy and infrastructure sectors, the Belt and Road initiative is an opportunity for China to play a leading role in the transition from fossil fuels and toward renewable energy. </span><span>Prioritizing sustainability will cement China’s legacy as it assumes a larger role on the global stage,</span><span>” said Wu [4].</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>［1］</span><span><a href="http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1680282" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1680282&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494665312521000&amp;usg=AFQjCNFPOHQdhPeQ170ywGHtd9wJoQRpEw">http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1680282<br /></a></span>［2］<a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494665312521000&amp;usg=AFQjCNGWtUpFZIpfTY3zV5X6ELDZgx9gbA">http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">［3］<a href="https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/9264-China-stokes-global-coal-growth" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/9264-China-stokes-global-coal-growth&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494665312521000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHV8ZtWNmfZQi3NtKgW7Ht1vBz6pA">https://www.chinadialogue.net/article/show/single/en/9264-China-stokes-global-coal-growth<br /></a>［4］<a href="https://www.aei.org/china-global-investment-tracker/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=https://www.aei.org/china-global-investment-tracker/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1494665312521000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG3aSrHAcKFrAQw7U0dWcLxQ6TKbg">https://www.aei.org/china-global-investment-tracker/</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | <a href="tel:+86%20183%200114%209704" target="_blank">+86 18301149704</a> | <a href="mailto:erin.newport@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">erin.newport@greenpeace.org</a></p><p></p><p><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, <a href="mailto:pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</a>, phone: <a href="tel:+31%2020%20718%202470" target="_blank">+31 (0) 20 718 2470</a> (available 24 hours)</span></p>Fri, 12 May 2017 08:48:00 Zother issuesErin Newport3ee93565-d7e7-42c8-b15f-979e61a12a03http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/CO2-emissions-from-Chinas-coal-to-chemical-industry-could-increase-400-over-13th-Five-Year-Plan-period/CO2 emissions from China’s coal-to-chemical industry could increase by more than 400% over the 13th Five-Year Plan periodBeijing, 25 April, 2017 - China’s coal-to-chemical industry is projected to emit 409 million tonnes of CO2 annually by 2020 if all projects currently under construction go into operation, according to a new report released by Greenpeace East Asia.[1] This figure amounts to more than four times the 90 million tonnes emitted by China’s coal-to-chemical industry in 2015.<p dir="ltr"><span><br />“At a time when China’s government is assuming greater climate leadership, the coal-to-chemical industry poses a major obstacle to the nation’s energy transition, ” said GPEA climate &amp; energy campaigner Gan Yiwei.</span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace’s findings show that if all coal-to-chemical plants that are currently under construction become operational, they will exceed the target for coal-to-chemical capacity outlined in the 13th Five-Year Plan.</span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The report predicts CO2 emissions from coal-to-chemical plants under three scenarios, based on the amount of capacity targeted in the 13th Five-Year Plan, the amount of capacity currently under construction and the amount of capacity that is up for approval. </span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>China currently has 46 coal-to-chemical plants in operation and 22 under construction. The 22 under construction plants are projected to emit a combined 193 million tonnes of CO2 annually if they become operational.</span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The projected increase in emissions from the coal-to-chemical industry comes as China reduces its overall CO2 emissions, which have seen almost no growth for three years.[2] The coal-to-chemical industry accounted for 13% of China’s industrial emissions in 2015.</span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Based on these findings, Greenpeace urges that particularly high-emission projects such as coal-to-olefin no longer be approved and that no new coal-to-chemical capacity be permitted.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“It is important that China limit the coal-to-chemical industry’s development and create a more stringent project approval process,” Gan said. </span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p><span>[1] Full report available <a title="HERE" href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2017/Coal-to-chemical%20CO2%20estimations%20FINAL%20.pdf">HERE</a>.</span><span><br /></span><span>[2] </span><span><em>China coal consumption falls for third year running -- Energy Desk</em> </span><a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/"><span>http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/</span></a><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><strong>Media contacts:</strong><br /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Erin Newport, International Communications Officer<br /></span><span>Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18301149704 | erin.newport@greenpeace.org</span><strong><strong><br /></strong></strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, </span><span>pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span><strong id="docs-internal-guid-9342de9c-9f1e-4068-0cfb-4284737373d5"><br /><br /></strong></p>Mon, 24 Apr 2017 19:00:00 Zclimate & energyErin Newport69292a02-8b69-4b59-9835-5dd36ee6e213http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/By-2030-Chinas-wind-and-solar-industry-could-replace-fossil-energy-sources-to-the-tune-of-300-million-tonnes-of-standard-coal-per-year/By 2030 China's wind and solar industry could replace fossil energy sources to the tune of 300 million tonnes of standard coal per yearBeijing, 11 April, 2017 - A new report on the co-benefits of wind and solar photovoltaic (PV) power in China by Greenpeace East Asia and partner organisations finds that by 2030, China’s wind and solar power generation could replace fossil energy sources by up to 300 million tonnes of standard coal per year, almost as much as France’s entire primary energy consumption in 2015. The report demonstrates that China’s rapid transition to clean power is not only viable, but also socially and economically beneficial. The government must now accelerate the energy transition.<p align="left">“The potential benefits of wind and solar energy in China are staggering”, said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Yuan Ying.</p><p></p><p align="left">“Not only could China rid itself of fossil energy sources to the tune of 300 million tonnes of standard coal, it could also save enough water to meet the annual basic needs of 200 million people and add billions of dollars to the national economy.”</p><p></p><p align="left">“The facts speak for themselves. China must now make sure nothing stands in the way of realising this potential.”</p><p></p><p align="left">The report also found:</p><p></p><ul type="disc"><p></p><li>By 2030, wind and solar energy is projected to save 3.6 billion cubic meters of water per year, equivalent to the annual basic needs of 200 million people.</li><p></p><li>Between 2015 and 2030, China’s wind and solar industries are projected to expand fivefold. By 2030, they are estimated to be worth RMB 1.57 trillion and to comprise 1.1% of the national GDP.</li><p></p><li>Between 2013 and 2015, off-grid solar provided power to almost half of China’s population who lacked access to the grid.</li><p></p><li>In 2030 alone, the wind and solar industries will accrue RMB 456 billion in external environmental benefits as a result of their replacement of standard coal consumption.</li><p></p></ul><p></p><p align="left">The report, <em>Accelerating the Energy Transition: the co-benefits of wind and solar PV power in China</em>, is the result of a year-long collaboration between Greenpeace East Asia and five industry associations and research groups. The report uses scenario analysis and quantitative and qualitative analyses to calculate the potential co-benefits of wind and solar PV over the current and next two five-year plan periods, i.e. up to 2030.[1] The analyses are based on the assumption that the average annual increase rate of wind and solar PV power will be at least 10% and 20% respectively over the coming 15 years, in accordance with China’s INDC targets.[2]</p><p></p><p align="left">“Only when we have a thorough understanding of the social and economic benefits wind and solar power can provide, can we really push forward with the energy transition and rid China of its reliance on fossil fuels”, writes former director of the National Center for Climate Change Strategy and International Cooperation, Li Junfeng.[3]</p><p></p><p align="left">China is undergoing an enormous energy transition as the country moves away from coal, which comprised 62% of the energy mix by the end of 2016, and towards renewable and clean sources of energy.[4] Coal consumption has fallen three years in a row, and non-fossil fuels rose to 12% of primary energy consumption by end 2015, with a target of 20% by 2030.[5]</p><p></p><p align="left">The findings of the report are evidence of the huge social, economic and environmental benefits that wind and solar PV can bring to China. The findings counter arguments that renewables will be costly and bring undue burden to the electricity grid, as well as fears that the energy transition will result in unavoidable social and economic losses due to coal mine and coal power plant closures.</p><p></p><p align="left">A broad understanding of the co-benefits of wind and solar PV power is the first step towards realising the ambitious growth targets set by the government, and a step towards consolidating, implementing and realising the enormous potential of the energy transition. Based on the report’s key findings, Greenpeace urges that China’s moving away from polluting fossil fuels and developing cleaner, low carbon energy resources be accelerated.</p><p></p><p align="left"><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p align="left">[1] See media briefing <a title="HERE" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/PageFiles/299371/Renewables%20co-benefits%20report,%20April%2017/Accelerating%20the%20Energy%20Transition_GPEA%20media%20briefing_0411.pdf" target="_blank">HERE</a> for details on methodology for each section of the report.</p><p></p><p align="left">[2] The assumptions for wind and solar growth are based on the rate of growth needed to achieve China’s Intended Nationally Determined Contributions, <a href="http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2015-06/30/content_2887330.htm">http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2015-06/30/content_2887330.htm</a></p><p></p><p align="left">[3] ‘Accelerating the Energy Transition: the co-benefits of wind and solar PV power in China’, p.3, <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org.cn/co-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-power-in-china-report/">http://www.greenpeace.org.cn/co-benefits-of-wind-and-solar-power-in-china-report/</a></p><p></p><p align="left">[4] <a href="http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2017-02/28/content_5171643.htm">http://www.gov.cn/xinwen/2017-02/28/content_5171643.htm</a></p><p></p><p align="left">[5] <a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/">http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/02/28/china-carbon-co2-emissions-coal-oil-energy-2016/</a></p><p></p><p align="left"><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-climatechange-idUSKBN0U607Q20151223">http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-climatechange-idUSKBN0U607Q20151223</a></p><p></p><p align="left">&nbsp;</p><p></p><p align="left"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p align="left">Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18811344861 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Tue, 11 Apr 2017 07:00:00 Zclimate & energyErin Newporte0d34c2f-7912-4ade-b761-448c9203a008http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Global-protests-push-Samsung-to-finally-recycle-Galaxy-Note-7---Greenpeace/Global protests push Samsung to finally recycle Galaxy Note 7 - GreenpeaceSeoul, 27 March 2017 - Samsung today officially published its plan to deal with the 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 devices produced and recalled worldwide following battery faults. This major win comes after nearly five months of campaigning and global protests addressing the environmental impact of the recall. <p></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“</span><span>People around the world signed</span><span> petitions, emailed Samsung’s CEO, demonstrated in cities around the world, and finally Samsung has listened. This is major win for everyone that took action, and a step towards shifting the way we produce and dispose of electronics,” said Jude Lee, </span><span>Global Senior Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.</span>Samsung’s commitment precedes the launch on 29 March in New York of the Galaxy S8, the first Samsung phone to be released since the Note 7 incident. The phone will be the first test to see how the company will apply these commitments to proceeding models. In a public statement released on its website, Samsung committed to:</p><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>refurbishing and selling the recalled phones or use them as rental phones,</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>detach salvageable components, such as semiconductors and camera modules, for reuse or sale; and,</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>extract metals using “environmentally friendly methods”.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The IT giant also claimed it will be joining a new research conducted by the European Union aimed at developing a new environmentally friendly technology to recycle smartphones.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Electronics production, including smartphones, is incredibly energy and resource intensive, according to a Greenpeace USA report published in February 2017 on the impacts of smartphone production since 2007. According to a United Nations report in 2014, e-waste volumes from small IT products, such as mobile phones and personal computers are predicted to rise globally to 50 million metric tons or more every year in 2017. This represents a massive waste of resources, and a source of contamination from hazardous chemicals.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“While we welcome this news, Samsung must share as soon as possible more detailed timelines on when it will implement its promises, as well as how it intends to change its production system to make sure this never happens again,” said Lee.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The average smartphone</span><span> in the US is used for about two years, and added to growing piles of e-waste around the world. This is simply not sustainable. Samsung and other IT companies such as Apple should manufacture phones that are easy to repair, refurbish, and upgrade,” said Lee.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace Spain activists crashed Samsung press conference at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona last February, asking the company to reuse, recycle and rethink the way the phones are produced.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia will further push the tech sector in the coming month to rethink its impact on the planet. The</span><span> Galaxy S8 and </span><span>best selling models from </span><span>14 </span><span>top IT companies’ will be scored to inform customers on how repairable the phones are</span><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>ENDS</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Photos and video can be found </span><span><a href="http://act.gp/2mgmmRC">here</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Samsung press statement can be found at the following link: </span><span>https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-to-set-the-principles-to-recycle-of-returned-galaxy-note-7-devices-in-an-environmentally-friendly-way</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] According to calculations by Oeko-Institut, a research and consultancy institution based in Germany, 4.3 million smartphones contain more than 20 metric tonnes of Cobalt, approximately more than 1 tonne of tungsten, 1 tonne of silver, 100 kilograms of gold and between 20 and 60 kilograms of palladium. </span><span>More information on calculations and methodology by the Oeko-Institut available </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/Toxics%202016/Galaxy%20Factsheet%20-%20FINAL%20.pdf"><span>here</span></a><span>.</span></p><p></p><p>[3] Greenpeace USA’s report From Smart to Senseless: The Global Impact of Ten Years of Smartphones can be found <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/smartphones">here</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] &nbsp;United Nations University, 2015, “</span><a href="https://i.unu.edu/media/unu. edu/news/52624/UNU-1stGlobal-E-Waste-Monitor-2014-small.pdf "><span>The Global E-waste Monitor – 2014</span></a><span>”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Maria Elena De Matteo, Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia, ph: </span><span>+852-55749984, </span><span><a href="mailto:mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org">mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org</a></span></p><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c3359a00-12de-fad6-1a53-a328cd05dbf3"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, +31 (0)20 718 2470 (available 24 hours), </span></span></p>Tue, 28 Mar 2017 03:01:00 Ztoxicsamcgurk42edd254-e5a2-4e0b-bd46-8921fa78b7a1http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/China-forecasts-fourth-year-of-stable-or-declining-CO2-emissions-as-world-awaits-Trump-climate-action---Greenpeace/China forecasts fourth year of stable or declining CO2 emissions, as world awaits Trump climate action - GreenpeaceBeijing, 28 February 2017 – China is forecasting a significant drop in CO2 emissions of approximately 1%, according to Greenpeace East Asia’s analysis of China’s National Energy Administration forecasts for 2017. [1] This would be the fourth year in a row of either zero growth or a decline in CO2 emissions.<p dir="ltr"><span>The encouraging news reinforces China’s growing status as a global climate leader, and sends a strong signal to US President Trump that his dirty energy agenda will send the American economy in the wrong direction as the rest of the world moves forward.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Statistics released today from the Statistical Communique on Economic and Social Development show that coal consumption in 2016 fell for the third year in a row, by approximately 1.3%. [2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Data released in January shows that China is also smashing records for solar panel installations, installing enough panels to cover three football pitches every single hour of the year. [3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“China is ploughing money into renewables and reining in its addiction to coal. As Trump’s rhetoric leaves the world in doubt over what his plan is to tackle climate change, China is being thrust into a leadership role,” said Li Shuo, Greenpeace Global Policy Advisor. “These trends give some hope that the global peak in emissions might well be within reach, but only if all major emitters break free from fossil fuels and reduce emissions.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace USA Executive Director Annie Leonard said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The United States should be one of the countries leading the world on climate action, doubling down on renewable energy and drastically cutting emissions. Instead, we are a global roadblock, thanks to Trump and his cabinet of billionaires.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“While the Trump administration proposes huge cuts to federal climate-change programs and vows to ‘cancel Paris’, the majority of the people in the United States want action on climate change. Trump would know this basic fact if he listened to anyone but the last fossil fuel executive he dined with at Mar-a-Lago, or if he listened to facts at all. The United States Congress has to listen to what the people want and stop our delusional President from sabotaging global progress on the most urgent issue facing the human species.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia’s analysis shows that China is virtually certain to overachieve its 2020 climate targets and could be on track to a much earlier CO2 peak if the rapid shift to clean energy and away from over-reliance on polluting industries continues.</span>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>After almost two decades of relentless growth, China’s CO2 emissions have remained stable since 2013, after leveling off in 2014 and falling for the first time in 2015. [4] 2016 saw another year of zero growth, while 2017 is expected to see a substantial decline in CO2 emissions. This trend has enabled global emissions to stay stable since 2013.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Preliminary information indicates that China’s total energy consumption grew 1.4% in 2016, a slight pick-up from 2015 but continuing the dramatic slowdown since 2013. Coal consumption fell by approximately 1.3%, while coal output shrank by a dramatic 9%. Non-fossil energy continued to grow at a rapid 12%, having covered all of China’s electricity demand growth since 2013. [5]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Calculated from the National Energy Administration’s energy consumption forecast for 2017. Analysis does not include data from cement, agriculture or other industry sectors </span><a href="http://zfxxgk.nea.gov.cn/auto82/201702/t20170217_2602.htm"><span>http://zfxxgk.nea.gov.cn/auto82/201702/t20170217_2602.htm</span></a><span> [document in Chinese]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] Coal consumption fell 4.7% measured in physical tonnes, according to the communique. The share of coal in total energy consumed fell from 63.7% in 2015 to 62.0% in 2016, while total energy consumption grew 1.4%. This implies that, measured in energy units, coal consumption fell 1.3%. The difference can be due to either a major improvement in coal quality or data discrepancies.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] </span><em>China kept on smashing renewables records in 2016</em></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/01/06/china-five-year-plan-energy-solar-record-2016/"><span> </span><span>http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/2017/01/06/china-five-year-plan-energy-solar-record-2016/</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><em>China’s CO2 emissions continued to fall in 2015 – Greenpeace response</em></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Chinas-CO2-emissions-continued-to-fall-in-2015--Greenpeace-response/">http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Chinas-CO2-emissions-continued-to-fall-in-2015--Greenpeace-response/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[5] Calculated from National Bureau of Statistics Annual Energy Statistics Yearbooks and monthly industrial output data, </span><span>see below graph</span><span>.</span></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18811344861 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-cef6a852-82da-fead-e1da-3735542f6dc9"><span><img style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/blpNTVLPuvZFwZ3JJQIegKEYayCNrAmT6WnqX3nrZgPh-yyZ80IFjb2j_tYdkhaySEouQF5ZrhApRhBDYMTHFXjTka4GkDueLzZ1jzcOJhPhQbDssl8S6B0eLCm4MR56fS3_1PBK" alt="China CO2 emissions_energy.png" width="566" height="674" /></span></span></p>Tue, 28 Feb 2017 03:50:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxter2705e9f9-fc6e-4bec-8c40-32f6c1f39524http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2017/Samsung-fails-to-share-a-plan-to-deal-with-43-million-Galaxy-Note-7---Greenpeace/Samsung fails to share a plan to deal with 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 - GreenpeaceSeoul, 23 January 2017 - Samsung today announced the results of investigations into what caused the Galaxy Note 7 explosions, but has still failed to publish its plan to deal with the 4.3 million phones recalled worldwide. Greenpeace urges Samsung to immediately show leadership and be transparent about how it will deal with these phones and the tonnes of precious materials they contain. <p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>At a press conference in Seoul Samsung executives, together with ‘</span><a href="https://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-to-announce-findings-of-galaxy-note7-investigations-at-press-conference"><span>independent expert organizations</span></a><span>’</span><span>, confirmed that battery faults, rushed manufacturing and insufficient testing before launching the product on the market were the root causes of the fault. There was no mention of what will happen to the millions of phones that have been collected since September. &nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In November Greenpeace launched a global petition</span><span> </span><span>which gathered over 30,000 signatures worldwide, asking Samsung not to dump the phones and instead take this chance to act with transparency and implement a truly sustainable recycling system. </span><span>The recall is one of the biggest in recent history and has caused Sam</span><span>sung huge public embarrassment and a decrease in consumer trust.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Thousands of people around the world asked Samsung to use this opportunity </span><span>to set an example to the industry and </span><span>embrace complete transparency</span><span>. Instead, the company’s announcement today focussed solely on the main cause of the explosion and failed to tell us what it will now do with the phones,</span><span>” </span><span>said Jude Lee, </span><span>Senior IT Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.</span><span> “Samsung needs to re-establish customer trust by first sharing its plan and then starting to embrace product design that benefits people and the planet, ensuring the reuse of resources.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>One hour prior to the press conference </span><span>Greenpeace East Asia held a meeting </span><span>with Samsung representatives to discuss their plan to deal with the recalled phones in which the organisation made its demands clear. Greenpeace is calling on Samsung </span><span>to reuse the almost new components that did not contribute to the cause of the explosion (such as the camera, alarm vibration unit and microphone); to prioritise the reuse of components that would have the highest environmental cost (such as the screen and circuit board); and to develop more efficient disassembly and more effective recovery systems.</span><span> Greenpeace will continue to call on Samsung to treat this matter with the seriousness it deserves.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“</span><span>The Galaxy Note 7 incident is the perfect example of how the </span><span>disposable economic model adopted by the company has high risks and is doomed to fail. </span><span>Despite Samsung’s promises to act responsibly on this issue, we have yet to see any concrete plans on how it will mitigate what could turn out into a major environmental problem. We urge Samsung to rethink its current, wasteful production system on behalf of its global customers, the thousands who joined Greenpeace’s ‘Save The Galaxy’ campaign and the planet,” </span><span>continued Lee.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>According to the calculations in a Greenpeace commissioned report by the Oeko-Institut, a research and consultancy institution based in Germany, the 4.3 million Galaxy Note 7 recollected worldwide contain more than 20 metric tonnes of Cobalt, approximately more than 1 tonne of tungsten, 1 tonne of silver, </span><span>100 kilograms of gold </span><span>and between 20 and 60 kilograms of palladium. At the moment there is still no clarity on whether these precious resources will be reused or disposed.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] More information on calculations and methodology by the Oeko-Institut </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/Toxics%202016/Galaxy%20Factsheet%20-%20FINAL%20.pdf"><span>available here</span></a><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] 4.3 million smartphones refers to calculations presented in South Korean media: </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>From August 19 launch until the first global recall on 2 September, 2.5 million Note 7 phones were produced (1.5 million were sold). After the first recall, 1.5 million further replacement products were produced. Samsung sold a further 0.2 million devices in China after the first global recall (the country was not included in the recall as the batteries were sourced elsewhere). The company also sold a further 0.1 </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>million more in Korea from October 1 after resuming sales</span><span>. </span><a href="http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2016101161201"><span>http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2016101161201</span></a><span><a href="http://www.newsis.com/ar_detail/view.html?ar_id=NISX20161011_0014441331&amp;cID=10401&amp;pID=10400">http://www.newsis.com/ar_detail/view.html?ar_id=NISX20161011_0014441331&amp;cID=10401&amp;pID=10400</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Mon, 23 Jan 2017 05:56:00 Ztoxicsamcgurkea060b03-5751-49b4-8ab7-9e8fefad662dhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/Cancelling-new-coal-plants-in-Southeast-Asia-Korea-Japan-would-save-50000-lives-a-year/Cancelling new coal plants in Southeast Asia, Korea, Japan would save 50,000 lives a yearHong Kong, 13 January 2017 - Approximately 50,000 lives a year could saved by 2030 if no new coal-fired power plants are built in Southeast Asia, South Korea, Japan and Taiwan, according to a groundbreaking peer reviewed study from researchers at Harvard University and Greenpeace International.<p><span>Air pollutant emissions from coal-fired power plants in these regions currently cause an &nbsp;estimated 20,000 excess deaths per year, increasing to 70,000 by 2030 if coal-fired power plants presently planned or under construction go ahead. The majority of these mortalities (55,000 by 2030) will be in Southeast Asia.</span><br /><br /><span>"While air pollution in China and India has received a lot of scientific attention, the impacts of planned coal power expansion in the rest of the Southeast and East Asian region have been &nbsp;understudied,” said Shannon Koplitz, lead researcher in the project from Harvard University.</span><br /><br /><span>“Reliance on coal in emerging Southeast Asian countries will have substantial and long-lasting impacts on air quality and public health. We estimate that tens of thousands of premature deaths could be avoided through cleaner energy choices. These significant human health costs should be considered when making choices about Southeast Asia’s energy future”.</span><br /><br /><span>Authors from Harvard University Atmospheric Sciences modeling group, Harvard School of Public Health and Greenpeace mapped out current emissions from all coal-fired power plants in the region, and used a sophisticated atmospheric model to assess how much of current air pollution levels are due to coal emissions in different locations across Asia.</span><br /><br /><span>If proposed coal-fired power plant projects go ahead, emissions from coal in Southeast Asia, Korea and Japan will triple by 2030 and could exceed total coal emissions in the U.S. and Europe, with the largest increases in Indonesia and Vietnam. Coal-fired power plants could be responsible for 70,000 premature deaths in the region every year, rivaling the 100,000 deaths from Indonesia’s 2015 smog. Indonesia will suffer the highest number of premature deaths, followed by Vietnam, with Myanmar experiencing the fourth highest mortality in 2030.</span><br /><br /><span>“Planned coal expansion in Southeast Asia is a particular concern because of these countries’ extremely weak emission standards for power plants. All countries in the region allow many times more &nbsp;pollution from new coal-fired power plants than China and India,” said Lauri Myllyvirta, Senior Global Coal Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia.</span><br /><br /><span>“Countries in Southeast Asia have the chance now to leapfrog dirty, outdated technology like coal and move to renewable energy. Vietnam already took the first step by cancelling 17 large coal-fired power plants, reducing the projected health impacts from the country’s massive coal expansion by more than one fourth. Governments across the region have the chance to urgently shift their energy policies and save the lives of tens of thousands of their citizens.”</span><br /><br /><span>Southeast Asia is one of the fastest developing regions in the world; electricity demand in 2035 is projected to increase by 83% from 2011 levels, more than twice the global average. Many countries in the region are still pursuing new coal-fired power plants, while lagging behind China and India in scaling up renewable energy.</span><br /><br /><span>Among developed countries, only Japan and South Korea continue stand out as the only ones to pursue new coal-fired power plants, in spite of their in contrast with climate commitments and concerns about public health.</span><br /><br /><span>China, the world’s largest emitter, has seen an overall decrease in coal consumption and associated pollutant emissions since 2013 and this trend will continue, despite recent jump in pollution. While China's pollution frequently spills over to neighboring countries, China could also start feeling the impacts of growing emissions outside of its borders. Some of the reductions in China’s air pollution could be offset by increases in Southeast Asia, as mainland China will see about 9,000 premature deaths in 2030 due to pollution from rising coal emissions from neighbouring countries.</span><br /><br /><strong>Notes to editors:<br /></strong><br /><span>[1]&nbsp;</span><a class="zoom" href="http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.6b03731" target="_blank">Burden of Disease from Rising Coal-Fired Power Plant Emissions in Southeast Asia</a><span>, Environmental Science &amp; Technology</span><br /><br /><strong>Media contacts:<br /></strong><br /><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk,&nbsp;</span><a href="mailto:pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</a><span>, phone:&nbsp;</span><a href="tel:+31%2020%20718%202470" target="_blank">+31 (0) 20 718 2470</a><span>&nbsp;(available 24 hours)</span></p>Thu, 19 Jan 2017 08:50:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurk99020d89-7932-4ff0-9050-8b416d39e8ffhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/China-raises-hopes-for-continued-climate-change-action-at-Davos---Greenpeace/China raises hopes for continued climate change action at Davos - Greenpeace17 January 2017, Davos - Chinese President Xi Jinping today addressed the opening of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Under the theme "responsive and responsible leadership", Xi offered his view on a set of global issues including climate change, urging all parties to stick to the Paris Agreement instead of walking away from it, three days ahead of the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.<p dir="ltr"><span>On the same day, China’s veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2017-01/17/content_27971833.htm" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&amp;q=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2017-01/17/content_27971833.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1484739562900000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG6DaE6DS0Sd602ajRpTnEGdzK-NQ"><span>said</span></a><span>&nbsp;China was capable of taking a leadership role in combating global climate change - the first time a senior Chinese government official has made such a clear remark in assuming leadership after the US presidential election.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Commenting on Xi Jinping's speech, Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Given the current volatility of global politics, President Xi Jinping's address not only helped calm nerves but boosted global confidence. Xi's reference to climate change highlights China's evolving calculus towards taking action on the issue. Now more than ever, the world need to follow committed powers like China to safeguard and enhance the hard-fought international climate regime."</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Li Shuo, Climate Policy Advisor at Greenpeace East Asia, said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“As president-elect Trump drops President Obama’s climate legacy, Mr. Xi might well establish one of his own. 2017 presents a real opportunity for China to rise to the challenge of responsible climate leadership. Having moved from climate laggard to a cautious leader in five short years over the first half of this decade, it’s reasonable to expect China to become a true leader by its end."</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>ENDS</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Remarks from China’s veteran climate envoy Xie Zhenhua:&nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2017-01/17/content_27971833.htm" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&amp;q=http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2017-01/17/content_27971833.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1484739562900000&amp;usg=AFQjCNG6DaE6DS0Sd602ajRpTnEGdzK-NQ"><span>http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/world/cn_eu/2017-01/17/content_27971833.htm</span></a></p><p></p><p>[2] The Guardian will publish an opinion piece on China’s climate leadership by Li Shuo on 20 January.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer<br />Greenpeace East Asia, Beijing | +86 18811344861 | tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p>Tue, 17 Jan 2017 11:40:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxtera571aac8-1596-40ad-89a6-8cc40db7de61http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/Almost-three-quarters-of-Chinese-cities-yet-to-reach-air-quality-national-standards-Greenpeace/Almost three quarters of Chinese cities yet to reach air quality national standards: GreenpeaceBeijing, 17 January, 2017 - Analysis of rates of air quality improvement from 366 cities across China shows that 270 cities, or 74%, fail to meet China’s national air quality standards. Greenpeace East Asia and the Shanghai Qingyue Environmental Protection Center [1] urge city governments across the country to ensure that timelines to meet the national standards are in place, as required by China’s Air Pollution Prevention and Control Law.[2] In addition, the central government should accelerate China’s economic transition away from reliance on coal-burning heavy industry, the principal source of air pollution.<p dir="ltr"><span>“At the current rate of improvement red alerts and airpocalypses will remain a feature of many Chinese citizens’ lives for some time to come,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Local governments must speed up the rate of progress in the fight against air pollution by ensuring timelines to meet the national air quality standards are in place and adhered to.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>277 cities saw average annual PM2.5 concentration fall compared to 2015, while concentrations rose in 89 cities. The average fall in PM2.5 concentrations for all 366 cities was 7.1%.[3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The average rate of PM2.5 concentration decline in the 74 cities for which information is available from 2013 to 2016 was about 12%. The total fall in Beijing’s PM2.5 levels from 2013-16 was 19%, with an annual average rate of decline of 6.6%. At this rate, the city will meet the national standard for PM2.5 concentration in 2027, and will meet the WHO standard in 2046.</span></p><p></p><p>Shanghai is predicted to meet the national standard in 2019, while Guangzhou is predicted to meet it this year.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>However, there are concerns that the latter half of 2016 saw slowing progress in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.[4] In Beijing, average PM2.5 concentrations in October 2016 were higher than in 2015, while December was the second worst on record.[5]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The coal-burning industrial hubs of Hebei, Shandong and Henan to the south of Beijing are the primary sources of Beijing’s air pollution. An uptick in industrial production in these areas, triggered by a March government stimulus package [6], is slowing down the region’s progress on air pollution and is principal source of the smog episodes which have hit the area this winter.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“In the longer term, the government needs to put much greater efforts into transitioning China’s economy away from reliance on polluting heavy industries,” said Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace and the Qingyue Environmental Protection Center urges the governments of the 270 cities which do not meet the air quality national standard to release timetables for meeting the standard, in accordance with the law. Authorities also need to ensure that heavy industry are conforming to emissions standards. In the longer term, China must push forward the economic transition to a cleaner economy. </span></p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] 上海闵行区青悦环保信息技术服务中心 &nbsp;</span><span><a href="http://www.epmap.org/ngo">http://www.epmap.org/ngo</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">[2] <a href="http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2015-08/30/content_2922326.htm">http://www.gov.cn/zhengce/2015-08/30/content_2922326.htm</a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] Full data set available on demand</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Beijings-first-air-pollution-red-alert-of-2016-coal-burning-the-culprit---Greenpeace/"><span>http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Beijings-first-air-pollution-red-alert-of-2016-coal-burning-the-culprit---Greenpeace/</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[5] </span><a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN13A028"><span>http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN13A028</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[6] </span><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-q2-gdp-stays-steady-thanks-to-record-stimulus-2016-07-14"><span>http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-q2-gdp-stays-steady-thanks-to-record-stimulus-2016-07-14</span></a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Anna McGurk, Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: anna.mcgurk@greenpeace.org phone: +86 15011306609</span></p><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-c0598e5d-a6e2-4bd5-6912-59edffe57a1c"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></span></p>Tue, 17 Jan 2017 02:00:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxterc9f47473-748f-42dc-b329-ef62327765b5http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2017/China-releases-its-energy-sector-development-13th-five-year-plan-Greenpeace-response/China releases its energy sector development 13th five year plan: Greenpeace responseBeijing, 5 January, 2017 - China’s National Energy Administration’s national energy sector development 13th five year plan firms up the country’s coal consumption cap and puts the country on the path of a steady energy transition. World-leading levels of investment in renewable energy will be maintained, with the country planning to invest RMB 2.5 trillion in the renewables sector over the five year period. The proportion of coal in the energy mix is targeted to fall from 64% in 2015 to 58% by 2020. [1]<p dir="ltr"><span>“This plan presents the framework to push forward the transition away from coal and towards renewable energy,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaign assistant manager, Yuan Ying.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“To make this a reality, however, China must push for more installation of wind and solar and get serious about tackling the enormous wastage of clean energy, which will also help propel a faster reduction in coal consumption.”</span></p><p></p><p>In the first three quarters of 2016 China saw an average of 19% curtailment of wind power, reaching as high as 46% in Gansu province. Gansu and Xinjiang provinces saw solar curtailment rates of 39% and 52%, respectively, in the first quarter of 2016. [2]</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The plan’s designation of central and eastern provinces as the location for 56% of new solar and 58% of new wind installation will increase efficiency by bringing energy generation closer to the market, and will go some way to tackling the curtailment problem.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The plan sets an annual average growth target of 3.1% for total energy consumption from 2015 to 2020 , a decrease of about 4.5 percentage points compared to the 2001-2015 time period, but faster than any time since 2013. [3] China's coal consumption has been falling since 2013, with new data showing a 1.6% drop in the first 11 months of 2016.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The energy sector development 13th Five Year Plan puts China on the right course for its energy transition. However, Greenpeace East Asia urges more ambitious expansion of renewable energy and tougher tackling of the curtailment issue which is slowing down a true transition to clean energy.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p>[1] <a href="http://www.nea.gov.cn/2017-01/05/c_135957436.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nea.gov.cn/2017-01/05/c_135957436.htm</a><br />[2] <a href="http://www.nea.gov.cn/2016-04/22/c_135303838.htm" target="_blank">http://www.nea.gov.cn/2016-04/22/c_135303838.htm</a><br />[3] <a href="http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2016/html/0902CH.jpg" target="_blank">http://www.stats.gov.cn/tjsj/ndsj/2016/html/0902CH.jpg</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org phone: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p>Thu, 05 Jan 2017 08:39:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxterfc8bf6a0-86a0-4660-8c45-99cf99ff5292http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Smog-engulfs-area-home-to-460-million-citizens-as-Northern-China-sees-worst-air-pollution-of-2016---Greenpeace/Smog engulfs area home to 460 million citizens as Northern China sees worst air pollution of 2016 - GreenpeaceBeijing, 20 December 2016 - Northern China’s 23-city air pollution red alert has become the most serious air pollution episode of the year, affecting a population equivalent to that of the US, Canada and Mexico combined. Approximately 200 million citizens across six provinces are experiencing “hazardous” levels of smog, and a further 260 million seeing “heavy” pollution (see Map 1).[1] In the last 24 hours, a total of eight cities, including two provincial capitals, experienced “off the charts” pollution.<p dir="ltr"><span>The cities experiencing the most severe pollution are all among China’s largest steel or coal industry clusters, which have recently seen a major uptick in production driven by retrograde </span><a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-q2-gdp-stays-steady-thanks-to-record-stimulus-2016-07-14" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&amp;q=http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-q2-gdp-stays-steady-thanks-to-record-stimulus-2016-07-14&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1482283186593000&amp;usg=AFQjCNH4RAN78EmnddTxcpUgY0I0FgXBpw"><span>stimulus policies</span></a><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The scale of the red alert measures show that the Chinese government is taking air pollution seriously,” said climate and energy campaigner Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“However, the ongoing ‘airpocalypse’ is further evidence that China must implement far stricter limitations on coal consumption and accelerate the restructuring of the economy away from the heavily polluting sectors.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>On Monday the steel producing city of Handan in southern Hebei saw its worst air pollution on record, with the 24 hour average air quality index (AQI) at one station reaching 780, if the index is extended beyond its official scale of 0 to 500.[2] The province’s capital, Shijiazhuang, also saw AQI exceed 700.</span></p><p></p><p>On Monday the Ministry of Environmental Protection <a href="http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1583163" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&amp;q=http://www.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1583163&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1482283186602000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHmewQTEaXm3UHir2PUzkYPtObYYQ">identified</a> factories across the region which have been found by environmental inspection teams to be continuing operations in violation of the air pollution red alert measures ordering reduced operations or a complete halt in operations.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Violations of emissions regulations are unacceptable,” said Dong Liansai. “Violating factories must be strictly penalised, and repeat offenders should be placed on the government’s phase out list.”[3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Based on available data and pollution forecasts, Greenpeace East Asia predict that this December will </span><a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/22/how-chinas-latest-economic-stimulus-plan-undid-beijings-efforts-to-clean-its-air/?utm_term=.16f8f765a094" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en-GB&amp;q=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2016/11/22/how-chinas-latest-economic-stimulus-plan-undid-beijings-efforts-to-clean-its-air/?utm_term%3D.16f8f765a094&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1482283186602000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEuEBr5fN1aNeOBemPRplcMz-z1IA"><span>continue the trend</span></a><span> of stagnating or worsening air quality that began in the second quarter of the year.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia urges the Chinese government to introduce stricter limits on coal consumption across the country. Emissions limits must be more strictly enforced and offenders heavily penalised. In the longer term, China urgently needs to accelerate the country’s economic transformation away from heavy industries and towards cleaner services.</span></p><p></p><div><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] Greenpeace East Asia analysis of official hourly monitoring data. “Heavy” pollution is equal to six times above the WHO daily guideline of 25, while “hazardous” refers to pollution more than ten times above the WHO daily guideline.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] China’s MEP began publishing data from 74 city air quality monitoring points, including Handan, in January 2013. In 2015 the list was expanded to 367.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] </span><span>The phase out list is a guideline released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology every year as a guideline to shrink industrial overcapacity by phasing out poor performing industries, based on their financial status and compliance to policies, including emissions standards. Industries on the list should close down permanently.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><em><strong>Map 1:</strong></em></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><img class="CToWUd a6T" src="https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/4iV48IOrDZ5GdwZAPi-EBSUtBbqKoQ27QYfqailmNoVnHFRmweFMm-PJqOq_W1pkUgudVh_p7wkMYH9toabBOLCANK8y_u_1AodW49h_G6vcnlBtQ3lS2uufSR6VQUIIn-yH_d82" alt="" width="454" height="449" /></span></p><p></p><div><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org phone: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p></div>Tue, 20 Dec 2016 01:52:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxterb232cd12-baca-4865-b881-9ea67db6c7fchttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Beijings-first-air-pollution-red-alert-of-2016-coal-burning-the-culprit---Greenpeace/Beijing’s first air pollution red alert of 2016, coal burning the culprit - GreenpeaceBeijing, 16 December, 2016 - A Greenpeace East Asia analysis of air pollution statistics identifies industrial coal burning in Beijing’s surrounding provinces as the primary source of the pollution which has triggered the red alert measures for 16-21 December. Greenpeace East Asia calls on the government to accelerate China’s economic transition, further curb coal consumption across the country and strengthen the enforcement of emission limits.<p dir="ltr"><span>“As Beijing braces for five days of serious air pollution, the culprits are in clear sight - coal-burning heavy industry,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">The current heavy pollution episode follows an increase in average PM2.5 concentration in <a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-pollution-idUSKBN13A028">October</a> and <a href="http://www.caixinglobal.com/2016-12-14/101026999.html">November</a> this year compared to 2015. The slowing of progress on pollution is linked to an uptick in industrial production since the government <a href="http://www.marketwatch.com/story/chinas-q2-gdp-stays-steady-thanks-to-record-stimulus-2016-07-14">introduced industry stimulus measures</a> in March this year (see Graph 1).</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) data on air pollutant origins by province and sector also indicate heavy industry in Hebei and Shandong as the prime source of air pollutants in the region (see </span><em>Graph 2 </em><span>and </span><em>Graph 3</em><span>)</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The enforcement of emissions limits urgently needs to be strengthened. In the longer term, it is clear that the government must accelerate China’s economic transition away from polluting heavy industries and towards cleaner services,” said Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The air pollution red alert measures cause significant disruption to life in Beijing and surrounding areas, with a strict limitation on numbers of cars on the road and school and business closures.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In previous air pollution orange and red alert episodes, factories and plants in Hebei are known to have </span><a href="http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201611/t20161104_366853.htm"><span>flouted regulations</span></a><span> on reducing or halting production. Any such practices during this red alert should be strictly punished.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges the government to further curb coal consumption across the country by introducing a national level coal consumption cap and accelerating the economy’s transition away from heavy industry. In addition, the enforcement of emissions limits must be strengthened.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr">&nbsp;</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><em>Graph 1</em><span>:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/owfM19CWpjROnnAz1PGWTwW4fYTCcexxg3hx2v77JBTUOtXpzx7RFnLn7xb6vjp-NN1ofSwDNAVFSeb028adge0hEbV4RxJRtduqi6bEP9O-KtA7VzcZH7DO2Ja19jiDJi_baCFh" alt="" width="545" height="444" /></span></p><p></p><p><em>Graph 2</em>:</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><img src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/4f3poK6apyRdVMJI4qtzY81bEZ5Cjg35XsOjNi4FRgiTHydnnaAjbc901wk71p3fOSnxiAekOQ3WU4-5ZlcHvGbj16oLC8-aoG0blTr23FxvAfgLHQ_yi-fvsRmVxoqBhlALXH88" alt="" width="517" height="390" /></span></p><p></p><p><em>Graph 3</em>:</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><img src="https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-bFIv1OG9s65lrcStqp7Qi3GPfBDL5mI6_Ry-BbuyG2CeuVIXCkNDb-zYki9N0E_D_Jbn0iY9BHk-FWGi78QYlrCWybo800CeuovkMC30HoBShoccrF1CAs7rylPD2JR7vjAn4uw" alt="" width="560" height="381" /></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org phone: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Fri, 16 Dec 2016 09:12:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxter837b845a-529d-4261-831e-bdf3c3ff8080http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/heavy-metal-content-falls/Media Update: Beijing PM2.5 carcinogen concentration falls as less coal burntBeijing, 14 November, 2016 - In 2013 Greenpeace East Asia, in collaboration with the Public Health Faculty of Peking University, reported that PM2.5 in Beijing contained levels of the heavy metal and group 1 carcinogen, arsenic, 3.85 times higher than the national standard.[1] The report also found worryingly high levels of two other carcinogens, cadmium and lead.<p dir="ltr"><span>New research by Greenpeace East Asia and the </span><span>Beijing Environmental Mutagen Society</span><span> shows that all three elements have fallen rapidly. Arsenic concentration levels fell by 90.4% and now meet the national standard.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The fall in heavy metals concentrations in PM2.5 in Beijing is directly linked to the closure of coal fired power plants around the city,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner, Dong Liansai.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The burning of coal is the principle source for all three heavy metal elements in Beijing’s air.[2] 84.6% of arsenic contained in coal enters the air during the process of burning coal.[3</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Beijing’s last operating coal power plant will be closed by the end of March 2017.[4]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Given that all three elements are carcinogenic and a major risk to public health, other municipal governments around the country should learn from Beijing’s policy of closing coal power plants and reducing coal consumption.</span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr"><p></p><table><colgroup><col width="173" /><col width="122" /><col width="119" /><col width="116" /></colgroup><p></p><tbody><p></p><tr><p></p><td>&nbsp;</td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Arsenic</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Lead</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Cadmium</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Concentration, 2012-13</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>23.08Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>244.10Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>4.20Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Concentration, 2015-16</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>2.22Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>81.40Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>1.40Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Rate of change</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>-90.4%</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>-66.7%</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>-33.3%</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>National standard</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>6Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>500Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>5Ng/m</span><span>3</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p></tbody><p></p></table><p></p></div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] </span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2013/air-pollution-beijing-2013/"><span>http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2013/air-pollution-beijing-2013/</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] 《北京城区 PM2. 5 中致癌重金属季节变化特征及其来源 分析》，Environmental Science, February 2014, </span><a href="http://www.klacp.ac.cn/kycg/zwlw/201502/W020150319582070511062.pdf"><span>http://www.klacp.ac.cn/kycg/zwlw/201502/W020150319582070511062.pdf</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] </span><a href="http://www.sciencemeta.com/index.php/HJKX/article/view/324281"><span>http://www.sciencemeta.com/index.php/HJKX/article/view/324281</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><a href="http://www.bjd.com.cn/jx/toutiao/201610/21/t20161021_11041554.html"><span>http://www.bjd.com.cn/jx/toutiao/201610/21/t20161021_11041554.html</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p class="p1">Tom Baxter</p><p></p><p class="p1">International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia</p><p></p><p class="p1">tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p class="p1">+86 1881 1344 861&nbsp;</p>Mon, 14 Nov 2016 08:04:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurka19a93d2-85ea-4503-aa28-796dde483733http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/China-Power-135YP/China’s Power Sector 13th Five Year Plan disappoints - GreenpeaceBeijing, 7 November 2016 - China’s Power Sector 13th Five Year Plan, released today by the National Energy Administration, is far from ambitious enough in its attempts to tackle China’s coal power overcapacity problem.[1] In addition, its wind power capacity targets do not reflect the reality of the sector’s growth and solar targets fail to expand the sector beyond its record 2015 growth.<p dir="ltr"><span>“The plan announced today fails to provide the much-needed blueprint for cleaning up China’s power industry,” said Greenpeace senior coal campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Over the last three years China has seen coal consumption peak and record wind and solar installations. While the new plan consolidates many of these accomplishments, it does little to increase ambition.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The plan limits coal-fired power generating capacity to 1,100 gigawatts in 2020, up from the current capacity of 920GW. Given that China already has severe overcapacity and demand for coal-fired power generation continues to fall, this is disappointing.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>With 200GW of coal-fired power plants already under construction, the plan will still require entirely stopping new projects from going into construction and retiring existing capacity or cancelling some under-construction projects. However, these measures do not show the same level of ambition as policies announced by the country’s energy regulator in September and October this year, which saw the cancellation of dozens of under-construction projects with a combined capacity of 17GW.[2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The plan’s wind and solar targets are also disappointing. The wind energy target of “more than 210GW” will be exceeded by a significant margin. China already has a total of 140GW wind power in operation and a further 80GW under construction. Setting a low target will create uncertainty for new projects.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The solar power target is somewhat more ambitious, keeping annual installations at the record level achieved in 2015. However, given the urgency of combating air pollution and climate change, we would expect the government to accelerate investments in clean energy, rather than stabilise or slow down.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace is calling on the government to limit coal-fired capacity in 2020 at or below current level, by cancelling the vast glut of coal-fired power plants permitted in 2015, and accelerating retirements of existing coal plants. Investments in renewable energy should be further accelerated from 2015 levels to continue to reduce China’s CO2 emissions in line with what is required to combat climate change.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] </span><a href="http://www.nea.gov.cn/xwfb/20161107zb1/index.htm" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://www.nea.gov.cn/xwfb/20161107zb1/index.htm&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1478594996168000&amp;usg=AFQjCNHyg_E6hcvGa-sXoLZvSdwt-e2MGw"><span>http://www.nea.gov.cn/xwfb/20161107zb1/index.htm</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] </span><span><a href="http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/series/china-energy/" target="_blank" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?hl=en&amp;q=http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/series/china-energy/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1478594996168000&amp;usg=AFQjCNEdLWuHXm4mAS-Z68rT12YAFNBP4g">http://energydesk.greenpeace.org/series/china-energy/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: <a href="mailto:tom.baxter@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</a> phone: <a href="tel:%2B86%2018811344861" target="_blank">+86 18811344861</a></span>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><span>Lauri Myllyvirta, Senior Coal Campaigner, Greenpeace, email: </span><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial;"><span><a href="mailto:lauri.myllyvirta@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">lauri.myllyvirta@greenpeace.org</a> phone: </span></span><a href="tel:%2B86%20157%201002%201563" target="_blank">+86 157 1002 1563</a><span style="color: #000000; font-family: arial;"><span> Greenpeace International Press Desk, <a href="mailto:pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</a>, phone: <a href="tel:%2B31%20%280%29%2020%207182470" target="_blank">+31 (0) 20 7182470</a> (available 24 hours)</span></span></span></p>Mon, 07 Nov 2016 08:54:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurkc90a301b-e9b1-4189-92bc-8099e012d7aahttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2016/samsung-phones/Dumping 4.3 million Samsung phones is an environmental disaster warns GreenpeaceSeoul, 1 November 2016 - Samsung’s lack of transparency on the disposal of Galaxy Note 7 leaves tonnes of precious minerals at risk of being discarded into the environment. According to calculations by Oeko-Institut, a research and consultancy institution based in Germany, 4.3 million smartphones contain more than 20 metric tonnes of Cobalt, approximately more than 1 tonne of tungsten, 1 tonne of silver, 100 kilograms of gold and between 20 and 60 kilograms of palladium. <p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>These materials could be recovered but would instead</span><span> end up harming the environment if Samsung doesn’t repurpose or reuse these precious minerals.</span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr">Samsung has yet to make an official statement fully explaining the causes of the fault, despite a global recall of the Galaxy Note 7 and offering replacements. It has said that it will not recycle the phones and has still not offered any clarity on what it will do with the returned phones.</div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Samsung now has an opportunity to set an example to the industry: will it recover and reuse the precious metals </span><span>and other valuable materials </span><span>in these 4.3 million devices and avoid an environmental disaster or will it simply dump them?” said Jude Lee, </span><span>Senior IT Campaigner at Greenpeace East Asia. </span><span>“We are launching a global petition challenging Samsung to not dump the phones and instead take this chance to totally rethink how it designs and produces its products.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Millions of phones were recalled worldwide after a number of high profile cases of exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices. </span><span>&nbsp;In April 2016, Samsung expected to sell 14 million &nbsp;Galaxy Note 7 devices within the first two months since its official launch.</span><span> </span><a href="http://m.news.naver.com/read.nhn?mode=LSD&amp;sid1=001&amp;oid=036&amp;aid=0000037175"><span>Samsung has currently produced 4.3 million devices</span></a><span> and sold 1.8 million in more than 10 countries including South Korea, USA, Canada, M</span><span>exico, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, United Arab Emirates, and China.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In the USA - the country with the highest amount of phones sold with a total of 1 million - Samsung mentioned that their existing mobile takeback programme does not apply to </span><span>the </span><span>Galaxy Note 7, but has not stated how they will deal with the phones, or whether the phones will go through recycling or smelting progr</span><span>ams.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Galaxy Note 7 incident reflects the disposable economic model of many smartphone manufacturers and is having a negative impact on the brand’s reputation. </span><span>Dumping millions of phones also raises the issue of Samsung’s transparency and claims to support a ‘circular economy’, and of the responsibility associated with resource efficiency.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In 1995, following a defect in its newly produced Anycall phones, Samsung disposed of 150,000 phones and set them on fire. Greenpeace urges Samsung to step up and use this crisis as an opportunity to adopt a more forward-thinking approach.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“This incident shows how fragile and wasteful our current system of production is - a system that hasn’t changed since the industrial revolution. Samsung has an opportunity to rethink its production model - one that would improve recovery of precious metals and rare earth minerals, to design products that can be more easily repaired, recycled or reused,” said Lee.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In August, Greenpeace East Asia released results of a consumer survey which found that many people believed that phone manufacturers should be responsible for providing people with the means to recycle their phones. </span><span>Over half of respondents across the countries surveyed agree that manufacturers are releasing too many new models every year.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace is calling on Samsung to not dump or burn the devices and </span><span>minimise the environmental impact by </span><span>finding alternative ways to reuse the resources. It must also b</span><span>e transparent and publish its plan on how it intends to deal with dismantling and disposing these phones.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] More information on calculations and methodology by the Oeko-Institut- &nbsp;</span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/campaigns/Toxics%202016/Galaxy%20Factsheet%20-%20FINAL%20.pdf"><span>available here</span></a><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] 4.3 million smartphones refers to calculations presented in South Korean media: </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>From August 19 launch until the first global recall on 2 September, 2.5 million Note 7 phones were produced (1.5 million were sold). After the first recall, 1.5 million further replacement products were produced. Samsung sold a further 0.2 million devices in China after the first global recall (the country was not included in the recall as the batteries were sourced elsewhere). The company also sold a further 0.1 </span><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span><span>million more in Korea from October 1 after resuming sales</span><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span> </span><a href="http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2016101161201"><span>http://www.hankyung.com/news/app/newsview.php?aid=2016101161201</span></a><span> </span><span><a href="http://www.newsis.com/ar_detail/view.html?ar_id=NISX20161011_0014441331&amp;cID=10401&amp;pID=10400">http://www.newsis.com/ar_detail/view.html?ar_id=NISX20161011_0014441331&amp;cID=10401&amp;pID=10400</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] “Nearly half of consumers say manufacturers should be responsible for recycling mobile phones” - </span><span><a href="https://p3-admin.greenpeace.org/international/en/press/releases/2016/Nearly-half-of-consumers-think-manufacturers-should-be-responsible-for-recycling-mobile-phones/">Greenpeace International press release</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Maria Elena De Matteo, Global Communications Strategist, Greenpeace East Asia, mariaelena.dematteo@greenpeace.org, phone +852 9584 7425</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</span></p>Tue, 01 Nov 2016 06:30:00 Ztoxicsamcgurk94c95d9c-7f7a-4355-b21d-5deb607dfabehttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Xian-Environmental-Protection-Bureau-caught-tampering-with-air-quality-readings---Greenpeace-response/Xi’an Environmental Protection Bureau caught tampering with air quality readings - Greenpeace responseBeijing, 25 October 2016 - It is shocking and concerning that the Xi'an Environmental Protection Bureau has consistently falsified air quality readings.[1]<p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Citizens have a right to know about the quality of the air they breath, in order to protect their and their family's health,” said Greenpeace East Asia climate and energy campaigner Dong Liansai. “Reliable data is the very starting point of China’s ‘war on pollution’.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>China’s Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP) has previously promised to crack down on false air quality readings [2], and a system to establish the validity of air quality readings is in place.[3] In June 2015, the MEP reported seven cases of falsification of air quality data.[4]</span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr">The Xi'an scandal should not detract from the overall long-term trend of air quality improvements across China, however. Previous analysis by Greenpeace East Asia of NASA satellite imagery has corroborated the overall national improvement in air quality in the last two years.</div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Under the central government’s </span><span>Air Pollution Prevention Control Action Plan </span><span>every province has agreed to meet specific air quality targets.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Today’s news should serve as a warning to officials around the country that the central government is serious about punishing environmental abuses.”</span></p><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-9340d491-fa96-9c17-cb57-84a0e3534127"><span>The MEP must continue to investigate such cases of falsified readings and ensure that local governments fully implement central government policy and provide their citizens with the information needed to safeguard their health.</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Notes to editors:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] </span><a href="http://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1548809?from=singlemessage&amp;isappinstalled=0"><span>http://m.thepaper.cn/newsDetail_forward_1548809</span></a><span> </span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] </span><a href="https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/7828-China-promises-crackdown-on-fake-air-quality-data/en"><span>https://www.chinadialogue.net/blog/7828-China-promises-crackdown-on-fake-air-quality-data/en</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] Measures include simultaneous disclosures in multiple platform, remote monitoring and auto-report, cross-examination by different provinces and random spot-checks.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[4] </span><a href="http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201506/t20150612_303415.htm"><span>http://www.mep.gov.cn/gkml/hbb/qt/201506/t20150612_303415.htm</span></a></p><p></p><div dir="ltr">Media contacts:</div><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org phone: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Tue, 25 Oct 2016 06:41:00 Zclimate & energytbaxter888298e3-022c-4b30-882a-48fe42500887http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/oceans/2016/Greenpeace-finds-microplastics-in-all-5-leading-cosmetic-retailers--Inadequate-labelling-found-in-almost-50-of-products/Greenpeace finds microplastics in all 5 leading cosmetic retailers : inadequate labelling found in almost 50% of productsHong Kong, October 12 2016 - A crowdsourcing investigation by Greenpeace East Asia in Hong Kong, has found five leading cosmetics retailers selling products with microplastics, which has increasingly been proven to be damaging to the environment as well as failing to provide clear ingredient labelling on their products. Almost 1,500 products were surveyed in Bonjour, Colourmix, Mannings, Sasa and Watsons and nearly 50% of the products were found to not have clear ingredient labelling. For the products that had clear labelling, close to 40% of them contained microplastics.<p dir="ltr">Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Kate Lin said that whilst it is a common belief that only facial cleansers and scrubs contain microplastics, they are actually more commonly found in cosmetics.</p><p></p><p>“This crowdsourcing research discovered that a lot of makeup products such as eyeshadow, foundation, and lipstick also contain microplastics. These microplastics are smaller and more difficult to remove, and thus pose a greater pollution threat to our oceans,” says Lin. “What’s even more concerning is that the vast majority of brands and retailers do not properly monitor microplastics in their leave-on products nor do they have any plan to phase them out.”</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Prior to the crowdsourcing research, Greenpeace East Asia in Hong Kong had asked the five retailers to explain their policies on microplastics (refer to Table 2). Apart from Colourmix, all retailers responded and said they had policies in place to deal with the microplastics issue. However, &nbsp;only Sasa provided a full public commitment, whilst Mannings and Watsons said they only had a plan to phase out the use of microplastics in their own branded products and would continue to sell other brands that contained microplastics. Mannings did not publicly disclose the details of its microplastics policy, meaning there is a lack of public oversight. Furthermore, the responded companies are only targeting rinse-off products in their microplastics policies, overlooking leave-on products entirely, such as cosmetics and sunscreen products.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Since half of their products are not clearly labelled, it's very easy for the customer to mistakenly buy a product with microplastics,” says Lin. “A conscientious retailer must not only ensure that the products they are selling do not contain microplastics but also provide more product information to give consumers peace of mind when they shop at their stores.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Microplastic pollution has become a global concern in the past few years, with research showing they not only pollute our oceans, but also harm marine animals and impact human health. Medical research has proven that materials smaller than 100 nanometres can be absorbed by skin cells, which leads to a more direct threat to the human body.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>In July, Greenpeace published a report </span><span>Plastics in Seafood,</span><span> which found microplastic debris in the bodies of as many as 170 different species of marine animals. It is also possible for microplastics to absorb toxic pollutants in the ocean, and if a marine species accidentally ingests these microplastics these poisons then enter the food chain which increase the risk of harming humans. Several global brands have promised to phase out the use of microplastics in their products; the US introduced legislation in 2015 banning microplastics in cosmetics and personal care products; and, Taiwan, South Korea and others have also said they will introduce similar laws soon. However, Hong Kong has no such law or policy.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia is calling on retailers in Hong Kong to halt all sales of microplastics in their stores by ensuring they stop using microplastics in both their branded products and cease stocking other brands that contain microplastics. Before that process is complete, they should make every effort to be as transparent as possible about the information they provide to customers. The Hong Kong government also needs to urgently enact legislation to ban the use of microplastics in cosmetics and personal care products, and amend the law to force companies to clearly label all their products so the public can make an informed choice. As consumers, we should avoid buying microplastics by consulting the list of microplastic names provided on Greenpeace's website, and add their voice to our petition calling on these big retailers to stop manufacturing and selling products that contain microplastics.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to Editors:</strong></p><p></p><ol><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Our “microplastics crowdsourcing team” consisted of 40 volunteers. They examined 1,413 products, of which 726 were rinse-off cleansers for face and body and 687 were leave-on products, such as cosmetics and sunscreen. They found evidence of microplastics</span><span> in 37.5% of the products (219 items), of which 37 were rinse-off and 182 were leave-on products (refer to Table 1). Furthermore, almost half of the products (698 items) did not list their ingredients, or were listed in a language not commonly used in Hong Kong, such as Japanese or Korean</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ol><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Table 1：Percentage of products found in 5 retailer stores with microplastics or without clear labels</span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr"><p></p><table><colgroup><col width="105" /><col width="94" /><col width="124" /><col width="154" /><col width="124" /></colgroup><p></p><tbody><p></p><tr><p></p><td>&nbsp;</td><p></p><td>&nbsp;</td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Total number of surveyed products by category</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Percentage of products containing microplastics* (Quantity)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Percentage of products with no clear labelling** (Quantity)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td rowspan="3"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Rinse-off products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Face cleansing products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>550</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>10.9% (29)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>51.8% (285)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Body cleansing products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>78</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>17.0% (8)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>39.7% (31)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Hair cleansing products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>98</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>0% (0)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>84.7% (83)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td rowspan="6"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Leave-on products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Face cosmetics</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>220</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>77.3% (68)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>60.0% (132)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Eye cosmetics</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>167</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>79.4% (50)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>62.3% (104)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Lip cosmetics</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>105</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>84.3% (43)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>51.4% (54)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Sunscreen</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>115</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>38.3% (18)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>59.1% (68)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Hair products</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>71</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>25% (1)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>94.4% (67)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Others</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>9</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>50% (2)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>55.6% (5)</span></p><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p></tbody><p></p></table><p></p></div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>* The percentage is calculated based on the products that have a clear ingredient labelling</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>** The percentage is calculated based on the products that Greenpeace had investigated</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Table 2：Microplastic policies of the 5 retailers</span></p><p></p><div dir="ltr"><p></p><table><colgroup><col width="85" /><col width="155" /><col width="*" /><col width="*" /><col width="*" /></colgroup><p></p><tbody><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Bonjour</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td colspan="4"><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>All private brands products will stop containing microplastics from 30 June 2017</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Includes non-private brands products, but does not indicate a clear timeline</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include leave-on products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Colourmix</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td colspan="4"><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>No response</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>No public available information </span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Mannings</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td colspan="4"><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>All private brands products will stop containing microplastics from 1 March 2017</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include non-private brands products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include leave-on products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Applicable in HK market only</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Sasa</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td colspan="4"><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>All private and non-private brands products will stop containing microplastics by 31 December 2018</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include leave-on products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p><tr><p></p><td><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Watsons</span></p><p></p></td><p></p><td colspan="4"><p></p><ul><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>All private brands products will stop containing microplastics from 1 September 2016 for HK market and from 1 January 2017 for other markets</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include non-private brands products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p><li dir="ltr"><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Does not include leave-on products</span></p><p></p></li><p></p></ul><p></p></td><p></p></tr><p></p></tbody><p></p></table><p></p></div><p></p><p><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Photos </span><span>：</span><a href="http://bit.ly/2dLgybA"><span>http://bit.ly/2dLgybA</span></a><span> </span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Petition link</span><a href="http://bit.ly/2cGjYud"><span>：</span></a><a href="http://bit.ly/2e3ZEYJ"><span>http://bit.ly/2e3ZEYJ</span></a><span> </span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>List of microplastic products sold in 5 retailers stores：</span><span><a href="https://secured.greenpeace.org/hk/campaigns/oceans/product-list/">https://secured.greenpeace.org/hk/campaigns/oceans/product-list/</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media Contacts：</strong><span><br class="kix-line-break" /></span></p><p></p><p>Kate, Lin Pui Yi<br />Senior Campaigner, Greenpeace<br />Tel：2854 8309 / 9234 8312<br />Email：kate.lin@greenpeace.org</p><p></p><p>Bonnie Tang<br />Campaigner, Greenpeace<br />Tel：2854 8371 / 9256 4633<br />Email：bonnie.tang@greenpeace.org</p>Thu, 13 Oct 2016 07:18:00 Zoceansamcgurk531b83f2-49e4-424f-8275-fcff1b92e53chttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2016/China-averaged--29-chemical-accidents-per-month-so-far-this-year---Greenpeace/China averaged 29 chemical accidents per month so far this year - GreenpeaceBeijing, 21 September, 2016 - 232 chemical-related accidents occurred in China from January to August 2016, an average of 29 per month, according to Greenpeace East Asia’s ‘Chemical Accident Counter’. The accidents caused 199 deaths and 400 injuries. The findings demonstrate the lax management of China’s chemicals industry, the world’s largest. In addition, preliminary findings from Greenpeace East Asia’s chemicals industry distribution mapping shows a worrying correlation of facility location and population density, as well as proximity to ecologically sensitive areas. Greenpeace calls on the Chinese government to radically overhaul the current chemicals management system and introduce greater transparency.<p dir="ltr"><span>“China's chemicals industry is the largest in the world, but it is appallingly under-regulated,” said Greenpeace East Asia toxics Assistant Manager Cheng Qian.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Tragic accidents occur on an almost daily basis. The government must take urgent action to manage chemicals in a sound manner, provide a safety net for workers and citizens, and protect ecologically important areas across the country.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace East Asia’s Accident Counter compiles publicly available information on chemical accidents from the official websites of the State Administration of Work Safety and the China Chemical Safety Association, supplemented by monitoring of news sources. [1] The data is not exhaustive and it is more than likely that more accidents than those recorded in the above sources have occurred.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Analysis of the data set shows that 43% of accidents occur due to leaks, while fire and explosions account for 27% and 16% of accidents, respectively. The data also shows that 52% of accidents occur during transportation of chemicals, while 27% occur during production. [2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Using GIS mapping technology and the latest available data on 33,625 chemical facilities, Greenpeace can also show that the majority of chemical facilities in China are concentrated in the densely populated east.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The mapping shows that nearly 84% of facilities are located outside of State Council’s 60 designated ‘priority counties for safety production management’. Nearly 18% of facilities are located in core ecological space [3]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The mapping relies on publicly accessible data from 2010-11. The fact that the latest data on chemical facilities’ locations is over five years old highlights the lack of transparency in the industry. The next stage of the mapping will enable the updating of this data set via user participation and public oversight.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Introducing transparency and public scrutiny to the industry is the first step towards safety,” said Cheng Qian.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the State Administration of Work Safety to improve transparency in China’s chemical industry. Chemicals management policy must be thoroughly reformed and recognise the intrinsic hazards of chemicals to ensure not only production safety, but also health and environmental safety. In addition, chemicals facilities should be moved away from urban and environmentally sensitive areas in order to minimise risk and hazardous chemicals should gradually be replaced with safe alternatives.</span></p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to editors:</strong></p><p></p><p>[1] For a full list of data sources, see infographic <a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2016/China%20Chemical%20Accidents%20Counter%20-%20GPEA.pdf" target="_blank">here</a><br />[2] For a full analysis of GPEA’s chemicals accident counter data, see infographic <a href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2016/China%20Chemical%20Accidents%20Counter%20-%20GPEA.pdf" target="_blank">here</a><br />[3] A Spatial Distribution Mapping of China’s Chemicals Industry - Greenpeace East Asia Media Briefing available <a title="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2016/A%20Spatial%20Distribution%20Mapping%20of%20China%E2%80%99s%20Chemicals%20Industry%20-%20GPEA%20media%20briefing.pdf" href="https://secured-static.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/toxics/2016/A%20Spatial%20Distribution%20Mapping%20of%20China%E2%80%99s%20Chemicals%20Industry%20-%20GPEA%20media%20briefing.pdf" target="_blank">here</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org phone: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p><p><span><span><br /><br /></span></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><span>&nbsp;</span></p>Wed, 21 Sep 2016 02:16:00 ZtoxicsTom Baxter9169315e-573a-48e8-83a6-b0fce05c4f16http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Greenpeace-urges-G20-governments-to-bring-Paris-Agreement-into-force-this-year/Greenpeace urges G20 governments to bring Paris Agreement into force this yearBeijing, 5 September 2016 - The Hangzhou G20 communique issued today brings climate change to the center stage of the global political agenda and sends a strong signal for all nations to join the Paris Agreement as soon as possible. Greenpeace urges governments around the world to bring the Paris Agreement into force by the end of this year and begin working on a new era of more ambitious global climate action. <p></p><p>“Less than a year after the adoption of the Paris Agreement, under the Chinese Presidency, the G20 has finally moved forward on key issues for tackling climate change. Countries now need to react to the strong call from the G20 to formally join and ratify the Paris Agreement as soon as possible, so that the Agreement can enter into force this year,” said Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International.</p><p></p><p>“Investors should pay close attention and not miss the momentum on shifting trillions of dollars from dirty to clean investments.”</p><p></p><p>“Hosts to this year’s G20, China has shown great leadership on climate over the last year. Against a backdrop of declining coal consumption and rapid renewable energy growth, China has even greater potential now to match its political effort with further action,” said Li Shuo, Greenpeace East Asia’s Senior Climate Policy Adviser.</p><p></p><p>The upcoming Montreal Protocol discussions and the International Civil Aviation Organisation process will be the next key steps for China to show its commitment to tackling climate change.</p><p></p><p>The lack of progress on outlining a concrete timetable for the phasing out of fossil fuel subsidies is a reminder that the G20’s collective action on climate change must go further.</p><p></p><p>“Handing out money to the fossil fuel industry is simply not compatible with the Paris Agreement,” said Li Shuo.</p><p></p><p>In the coming year, Germany must take up the mantle and continue to push for strong climate action in its role as G20 President. Greenpeace urges Germany to lead by example and show the world that it is ready to transform its economy into a zero-carbon economy and finalise the phase-out of coal by 2035 the latest.</p><p></p><p>The Paris Agreement will enter into force after 55 countries that account for at least 55% of global emissions have joined the agreement. So far 26 countries, accounting for 39% of emissions have joined the Agreement.[1] A surge in countries joining the Agreement is expected in the coming months.</p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to editor:</strong><br />[1] http://unfccc.int/paris_agreement/items/9485.php</p><p></p><p><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter, International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia, email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org ph: +86 18811344861</p><p></p><p>Li Shuo, Senior Climate Policy Adviser, Greenpeace East Asia, email: li.shuo@greenpeace.org, ph: +86 15201681548<br /> <br />Greenpeace International Press Desk, pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org, phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Mon, 05 Sep 2016 11:30:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxterff914a5c-9305-45bc-98ea-5519dc56d9e5http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/forests/2016/China-must-do-more-to-protect-its-UNESCO-natural-heritage-sites---Greenpeace/China must do more to protect its UNESCO natural heritage sites - GreenpeaceBeijing, 27 July, 2016 - A Greenpeace East Asia investigation into China’s remaining Intact Forest Landscape (IFL) [1] has shown that key areas of IFL in northwest Yunnan Province are being damaged by mining activities. Moreover, three of the 24 mining sites identified are located in the Three Parallel Rivers UNESCO world natural heritage site, in direct violation of UNESCO regulations and the Yunnan provincial government’s assurance to UNESCO. The Three Parallel Rivers region and its IFL are some of the most biologically diverse regions on earth, and should be strictly protected from human interference. Greenpeace calls on the Chinese government to include these regions in the upcoming ‘ecological redlines’ protection programme and to ensure the full and effective protection of China’s UNESCO world heritage sites.<p>“The intact forest landscapes of northwestern Yunnan are both a national and a global treasure,” said head of China oceans and forest campaign, Rashid Kang. “Now the country with the second largest number of UNESCO world heritage sites, and with more in the pipeline, China must assure the world that it can effectively protect these globally significant areas.”</p><p></p><p>“As China readies to draw up its new system of ecosystem protection, the ecological redlines, it is vital that protection of UNESCO sites and other intact forest landscapes are taken into account.”</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace’s investigation was conducted through a combination of satellite imagery analysis and field visits. Greenpeace discovered that 490,000 hectares of IFL in China were lost during the period 2000-2013, over half of which (270,000 hectares) occurred in the northwestern region of Yunnan Province. IFL now accounts for just 3.34% of China’s forest areas.</p><p></p><p>According to UNESCO, the Three Parallel Rivers region of Yunnan “may be the most biologically diverse temperate region on earth”. [2]</p><p></p><p>The three mines operating in the world heritage site are engaged in antimony, tungsten and molybdenum mining. Their operations and the transport links they have constructed have caused considerable damage to the surrounding hillsides, including deforestation, creating risks of landslides, and potential tailings (waste water) pollution. Desktop research also showed that one of the mines, the Xiuwachu Tungsten and Molybdenum Ore Mine, is suspected of never having applied for an Environmental Impact Assessment, a requirement under Chinese law.</p><p></p><p>A further 21 mines were found to be located in areas of invaluable IFL. Their activities, too, must be reined in.&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace demands that all mining operations in IFL, and especially those located within the UNESCO world heritage site, be shut down immediately and ecological restoration begin. Greenpeace also calls on the Yunnan government to include Yunnan’s IFL in its forthcoming ‘ecological redlines’ plan and use the new policy to ensure the stability and integrity of these unique and rare ecosystems.</p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p>[1] IFL definition: An unbroken expanse of natural ecosystems within the zone of current forest extent, showing no signs of significant human activity and large enough that all native biodiversity, including viable populations of wide-ranging species, could be maintained. <a href="http://www.intactforests.org/concept.html">http://www.intactforests.org/concept.html</a></p><p></p><p>[2] <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1083">http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1083</a></p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)&nbsp;</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace. We are a non-profit organisation with a presence in 40 countries. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants.<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia">www.greenpeace.org/eastasia</a></p>Wed, 27 Jul 2016 02:54:00 ZforestsTom Baxterad509aad-d15a-48cc-9728-c279d68ef75dhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Over-1-trillion-rmb-wasted-coal-power-China/Over 1 trillion rmb could be wasted on redundant coal power in China – Greenpeace reportBeijing, 13 July, 2016 –<p></p>Beijing, 13 July, 2016 – Despite government attempts to reign in China’s coal power overcapacity crisis, Greenpeace research finds that a total of over 1 trillion rmb could be wasted on excess capacity by 2020. Despite a new overcapacity policy, China still has enough coal-fired projects in the pipeline to keep adding one coal-fired power plant per week until 2020, potentially resulting in a total of 400,000MW of excess capacity. The overcapacity crisis will slow down China’s energy transition, making it harder for renewables to be fully utilised and have a large environmental impact. Greenpeace calls on the Chinese government to urgently extend its ban on new permits and begin to cancel projects on a selective basis.<p></p><p>“China’s worsening coal overcapacity crisis is acting as a dead weight on the country’s ongoing energy transition,” said Greenpeace coal campaigner Lauri Myllyvirta.</p><p></p><p>Reports emerged on Monday that China’s upcoming energy five-year plan could suspend permits to all new coal power plant projects.[1] This would be an important step that could avoid up to 110,000MW of overcapacity and 300 billion yuan of wasted capital.</p><p></p><p>“The government needs to move ahead urgently on a ban on all new permits,” said Lauri Myllyvirta. “However, the vast number of projects which recently entered construction would be left untouched. It is necessary to begin cancelling projects and dramatically accelerate plant retirements.”</p><p></p><p>In April 2016 energy planners introduced new regulations to curb the growth in capacity and retire old power plants. Greenpeace mapping shows that in the two months after the policy was introduced, new coal power plants projects started construction at a pace of two per week, in ten different provinces. The officially designated ‘coal power bases’ in Sha’anxi and Inner Mongolia saw a particularly large increase in environmental permit applications this May, totalling over 9,000MW of capacity. Due to exemptions in the new regulations for coal power plants built in western provinces for exporting power to demand centres in the east, power companies in Sha’anxi and Inner Mongolia could proceed with the projects unless the policy is strengthened.</p><p></p><p>Driven by unprecedented growth in clean power generation and slowed power demand growth, demand for coal power fell by 4% in the first five months of 2016. At current rates, China can comfortably cover all increases in electricity demand from renewable and non-fossil energy, making all new coal-fired capacity redundant.</p><p></p><p>Massive overinvestment in coal-fired power is a wasted opportunity to deploy clean energy even faster. It is also exacerbating the problem of ‘wasted’ wind and solar power, as grid operators fail to prioritize renewable energy sources over coal. Furthermore, new coal power projects are heavily concentrated in the most water-scarce areas of China, where water consumption already exceeds renewable supply, such as the ‘coal power bases’ in Sha’anxi and Inner Mongolia.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace calls on the government to immediately halt permitting and new construction of coal-fired power plants in all provinces, cancel all projects that began construction in provinces with overcapacity in 2015 and further accelerate the retirement of existing power plants.</p><p></p><p>Read the full report <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2016/Burning%20Money,%20How%20China%20could%20squander%20over%201%20trillion%20yuan%20on%20unneeded%20coal-fired%20capacity,%20Greenpeace.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to Editor:</strong></p><p></p><p>[1] 《十三五能源规划首要取向去产能 煤炭、炼油三年不上新项目》 <a href="http://wap.nengapp.com/news/655806">http://wap.nengapp.com/news/655806</a> ; ‘China poised to ban new coal-fired power stations’, <a href="http://www.afr.com/news/china-poised-to-ban-new-coalfired-power-stations-20160711-gq3izc">http://www.afr.com/news/china-poised-to-ban-new-coalfired-power-stations-20160711-gq3izc</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Wed, 13 Jul 2016 02:00:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurkffc234f8-13be-45f1-a8b7-5242059228abhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/others/20161/Greenpeace-releases-Hong-Kong-and-Taiwan-consumer-report-/Greenpeace releases Hong Kong and Taiwan consumer report HONG KONG, 22 Jun 2016 ¬– A Greenpeace study has found that Hong Kong residents seldom or never wear an estimated HKD 3.9 billion worth of clothing that they have purchased. The study was conducted by TNS, an independent global research agency, to uncover the shopping habits and consumer mentality of people in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Greenpeace urges Hong Kong public to reflect on their shopping habits and consumer mentality as well as pursue a more sustainable shopping lifestyle. Greenpeace also suggests the Hong Kong government commits to developing a sustainable fashion industry in Hong Kong.<p><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Greenpeace Campaigner Bonnie Tang said: "Although Hong Kong residents own nearly 100 pieces of clothing and seldom or never wear so many items, each year the average resident will still shop more than 10 times for clothing and spend nearly HK</span>D 10,000 on new clothes. Does shopping equal being fashionable? I think it is time for us to reflect deeply upon our shopping habits and mentality."</p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><br /> </span>TNS interviewed 2,000 Hong Kong and Taiwan residents for the study, ranging in age from 20 to 45 years old, half of which are parents. The main findings are:</p><p></p><ul type="disc"><p></p><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Hong Kong residents own an average of 94 pieces of clothing; </span></li><p></p><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Hong Kong women own an average of 109 pieces of clothing, 30% more than men;</span></li><p></p><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">16% of all the clothes owned by Hong Kong residents (equivalent to 15 items) are seldom or never worn; and</span></li><p></p><li><span style="font-family: Calibri; font-size: small;">Assuming each piece of clothing is worth HK</span>D 100, Greenpeace estimated that Hong Kong residents wasted HKD 3.9 billion on buying clothes that they seldom or never wear.</li><p></p></ul><p></p><p><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: small;"><br /> </span>Last year, Greenpeace estimated that the equivalents of roughly 1,400 t-shirts are discarded every minute in Hong Kong. This year, the TNS study exposed the fact that every Hong Kong person discards one each of t-shirts, trousers, shirts, coats, knitwear/sweaters, and a pair of shoes every year. The main reason given by respondents for clothing disposal in Hong Kong was 'the sizes of the clothes don't fit me anymore'. Only 27% of all Hong Kong residents repaired their clothes in the two months prior to the study, showing that instead of repairing their clothes, Hong Kong people predominantly choose to discard them. In Taiwan, the main reason given by respondents for clothing disposal was 'the clothes are damaged or stained.' The percentages of Hong Kong and Taiwanese residents who consider recycling their clothing are 62% and 73% respectively. However, 40% of overall respondents consider discarding clothes directly.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /> <br /> </span>Nonetheless, the 2016 TNS study shows that the environmental awareness of Hong Kong parents is considerably higher than the average respondent. Nearly 60% of parents are concerned about the hazardous chemicals produced during clothing manufacturing. Moreover, almost 70% of Hong Kong parents consider purchasing second-hand clothes for their kids, clearly showing that there is significant market potential for developing sustainable fashion for children in Hong Kong. However, future sustainable fashion brands must be aware that the industry lacks communicative channels, platforms and networks in the Hong Kong second-hand clothing market.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /> <br /> </span>Sustainable fashion is not prevalent among residents in Hong Kong and Taiwan. For Hong Kong residents, the price of clothing is the most important purchase consideration. More than half of the Hong Kong respondents said they have never purchased second-hand or sustainable fashion and stated that they do not know where to buy them. John Tsang, HKSAR Financial Secretary, stated clearly in the HKSAR 2015-2016 budget that the Hong Kong government would invest HKD500 million to promote the development of Hong Kong's fashion designers and brands. Yet, the funding is not specifically dedicated to sustainable fashion development. Greenpeace suggests the HKSAR government takes a more proactive and leading role in developing sustainable fashion in Hong Kong.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /> <br /> </span>Greenpeace Campaigner Bonnie Tang recommended: "Hong Kong should evaluate its fashion sustainability and learn from cities around the globe. Many cities have been actively developing their second-hand clothing markets and they are also promoting and supporting the development of sustainable fashion. For example, the European Union implemented the European Sustainable Clothing Action Plan (ECAP) in 2015, aimed at adopting a circular approach to divert over 90,000 tonnes/year of clothing waste from landfill and incineration across Europe by 2019. ECAP will engage designers, brands, retailers, public, public procurers, and recyclers to integrate sustainability improvements within the design, production, procurement, sale, use, and disposal of clothing.<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contact:</strong></p><p></p><p>Bonnie Tang,<br />Greenpeace Campaigner<br />email: bonnie.tang@greenpeace.org<br />phone: 2854 8371</p><p></p><p>Ray Yeung, <br />Greenpeace Communications Officer<br />email: ray.yeung@greenpeace.org<br />phone: 2854 8376</p>Tue, 28 Jun 2016 10:18:00 Zother issuesamcgurk27824382-43cb-47db-8f8d-d0b55a1168cchttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/others/20161/Greenpeace-Urges-Hong-Kong-Residents-to-Buy-Smart-Buy-Less/Greenpeace Urges Hong Kong Residents to ‘Buy Smart, Buy Less’HONG KONG, 23 June 2016 – Today in Causeway Bay, Greenpeace visualized Hong Kongers’ shopping habits in the form of a 2.5m tall ‘Giant Girl’ that wore a dress upcycled from dozens of articles of used clothing and held shopping bags that featured the message ‘100 Clothes But Nothing to Wear?’. The performance art was created to highlight the key findings of a recent Greenpeace study focused on the shopping habits and mentality of consumers in Hong Kong and Taiwan. <p dir="ltr"><span>The study showed that a Hong Kong resident owns an average of 100 pieces of clothing and 16% of these clothes are seldom or never worn. Results also showed that each year the average resident will still shop 10 times for clothing and spend nearly HK$10,000 on new clothes. Greenpeace calls on the Hong Kong public to ‘Buy Smart, Buy Less’ by reducing unnecessary spending and embracing a sustainable, fashion lifestyle.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace Campaigner Bonnie Tang said: “</span><span>’I have 100 pieces of clothing but I still feel like I have nothing to wear.’ </span><span>Is that really what people think? Yes. According to our study, Hong Kong people really think and act like that. We encourage the public to be aware of their shopping habits and to try shopping alternatives such as wearing second-hand clothing, repairing worn items, and considering upcycling rather than discarding old clothes.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace collected used clothing from sources online and collaborated with local artist Wong Wing Fung to upcycle them into a dress to visualize the shopping habits of Hong Kong people. Wong Wing Fung said: ‘Personally, I will not buy T-shirts anymore, as their lifespans are way too short. I love vintage clothes though! Not only are vintage clothes much more durable, they also have interesting and personal stories of the previous owners attached to them. Isn’t that lovely?’ </span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace calls on the Hong Kong public to reflect on their shopping habits and consumer mentality as well as realise the detrimental environmental impact of their unsustainable shopping lifestyles. We must pursue a sustainable fashion lifestyle.</span></p><p></p><p><span id="docs-internal-guid-cc44c2bc-9682-29ce-8345-aefeb5cdc754"><span><img src="https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/sCJhYLuQAkOk3ZyBwwZQXOxmttVUibowFuDzp3dx1H2_rpKieCYwZhrDDmQQVMrZ69oC51uawTPufztrhUHrfO67N0mhe-r7AdQ_Q-esnwjr6cRbUxpG1UrmvSrS2xPFSJQeZeNv" alt="DSC01859 (1).jpg" width="624" height="416" /></span></span></p><p></p><p><strong>Media Contact:</strong></p><p></p><p>Bonnie Tang, <br />Greenpeace Campaigner<br />email: bonnie.tang@greenpeace.org<br />phone: 2854 8371</p><p></p><p><br />Ray Yeung, <br />Greenpeace Communications Officer<br />email: ray.yeung@greenpeace.org<br />phone: 2854 8376</p>Tue, 28 Jun 2016 09:40:00 Zother issuesamcgurka223fee2-e120-4f88-a109-f890da955e1dhttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Greenpeace-East-Asia-responds-to-IEA-report-on-Energy-and-Air-Pollution/Greenpeace East Asia responds to IEA report on Energy and Air PollutionBeijing, Monday June 27 - The IEA’s report on Energy and Air Pollution, released today, underlines the urgency in moving to clean forms of energy if we are to stop millions of premature deaths around the world. The WHO (World Health Organisation) estimates that 3 million people die every year from outdoor air pollution from fossil fuels. <p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>With current energy policies, the IEA predicts that premature deaths from air pollution will rise steeply in the coming years, particularly in Asia, even taking into account improved emission standards for power plants and vehicles which are supposed to improve air quality.&nbsp; This is because of rising and ageing populations, increased fossil fuel use in the ‘business-as-usual’ scenario, and more people moving to cities.&nbsp; Premature deaths from fossil-fuel burning will go up from 3 million to 4.5 million, with nearly all of that increase (90%) happening in Asia. &nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>India could see 900,000 premature deaths and a reduction in average life expectancy of 15 months because of air pollution.&nbsp; Indonesia could have 120,000 premature deaths, with 12 months cut from average life expectancy and China a huge 1.5 million premature deaths, and 16 months reduction.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Action on energy efficiency and clean energy, and better emission standards, could avoid many of these deaths.&nbsp; But this means halving the growth in coal consumption from current plans in India and Indonesia, and reducing consumption by 25% below current levels in China.&nbsp; The gap in energy demand must be filled with renewables and energy efficiency.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Lauri Myllyvirta, senior global coal campaigner with Greenpeace East Asia, said:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Governments in the region have a responsibility to look after the health of their people.&nbsp; Air pollution affects everyone, rich and poor, and policies based on business-as-usual are killing, and will continue to kill, hundreds of thousands of their citizens.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Air pollution from fossil fuels is a public health emergency both in industrialized and emerging economies. A plan to phase out fossil fuels is needed not only to combat climate change but to stop millions of lives being cut short by air pollution. Those governments still pursuing new coal-fired power plants are writing the death sentences of their people today, and condemning future generations to lives cut short by air pollution.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“As the IEA says, the technologies already exist to prevent this bleak future.&nbsp; It is up to governments to use them.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Contact</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Lauri Myllyvirta, senior coal campaigner, Greenpeace East Asia, </span><a href="mailto:lauri.myllyvirta@greenpeace.org" target="_blank"><span>lauri.myllyvirta@greenpeace.org</span></a><span>, mobile </span><span><a href="tel:%2B86%20157%201002%201563" target="_blank">+86 157 1002 1563</a></span><span> (China)</span></p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Joanna Mills, communications, </span><a href="mailto:joanna.mills@greenpeace.org" target="_blank"><span>joanna.mills@greenpeace.org</span></a><span>, mobile <a href="tel:%2B44%207791%20493451" target="_blank">+44 7791 493451</a></span></p>Tue, 28 Jun 2016 03:56:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurk43f56a11-0527-4ff7-8734-71ffa51a2d02http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Greenpeace-demands-suspension/Greenpeace calls on Hong Kong Government to demand suspension of Taishan Nuclear Plant amid safety concerns19 April 2016, Hong Kong – Greenpeace is calling on the Hong Kong government to protect its residents and demand China suspend construction of the world’s largest nuclear reactors amid safety concerns being raised from an identical project in France. The French Nuclear Safety Authority (ASN) confirmed safety issues with a reactor under construction in Flamanville and warned that Taishan Nuclear Power Plant, which shares the same design, may suffer from identical faults. Specifically the pressure vessel’s head and bottom head may be compromised and could fracture causing a nuclear disaster on a larger scale than Chernobyl or Fukushima according to Greenpeace’s analysis.<p>Senior nuclear specialist with Greenpeace Germany, Shaun Burnie, pointed out carbon contents in pressure vessel lids of Flamanville reactor was found to exceed regulatory limit. He said,“When the reactor is in operation, the pressure vessel is continuously subjected to high temperatures, high pressure and radiation, making the steel gradually brittle. There's a chance the pressure vessel will fracture during operation. Considering the size of the 1750 MW reactor, once a critical radiation leak happens, it may become the worst nuclear disaster in history.”<br /> <br /> As the 30th anniversary of the Chernobyl nuclear accident approaches, governments housing nuclear reactors are provided a sober reminder of the dangers of nuclear power. However, the Hong Kong government has stated that its citizens would not need to evacuate if there was a nuclear leak since the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant is 130 km from Hong Kong's urban areas. Greenpeace’s Burnie disagrees, pointing out that following the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, radioactive fallout spread over a range of more than 100km, and during the Fukushima nuclear accident, local authorities thought that it might be necessary to evacuate Tokyo residents, 160 km away from the Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace senior campaigner in Hong Kong, Frances Yeung, also criticized Hong Kong officials as being irresponsible for the world’s largest capacity reactors. “How far nuclear fallout spreads depends on many factors such as weather conditions, humidity and wind direction. The Hong Kong government has never published any worst case scenario assessments of the design characteristics of Taishan Nuclear Power Plant and considered the effect of our various weather conditions. Without the correct analysis, our officials cannot in good conscious claim that Hong Kong people won’t be affected. They are showing a complete disregard for the public’s safety.”</p><p></p><p>The ASN exposed the issue with the French reactor a year ago this month and ordered the contractor to investigate. Last Wednesday, Electricité de France (EDF) announced that initial analyses conducted on parts similar to those at Flamanville 3 have shown that the carbon segregation phenomena extend beyond mid-thickness on one of them and bore out reason to continue concern. However, China’s government and the Taishan plant’s project owner, China General Nuclear Power Group, have yet to publicly clarify whether or not Taishan carries the same risk.</p><p></p><p>To protect the safety of Hong Kong’s residents and their right to know, Greenpeace demands the Hong Kong government request the Guangdong provincial government to:</p><p></p><ul><p></p><li>Suspend all work on the Taishan Nuclear Power Plant until French nuclear safety authorities complete their investigation and clarify the safety issue(s);</li><p></p><li>Request China’s National Nuclear Safety Administration to disclose all details of their communications with the ASN; and,</li><p></p><li>Disclose whether Taishan Nuclear Power Plant shares the same safety issues as the power plant in Flamanville as well as clarify contingency measures and plans.</li><p></p></ul><p></p><p><br /> Media contacts:</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace Senior Campaigner Frances Yeung</p><p></p><p>Email：<a href="mailto:frayeung@greenpeace.org">frayeung@greenpeace.org</a><br /> Phone：2854 8303<br /> <br /> Greenpeace Communications Officer Ray Yeung</p><p></p><p>Email：<a href="mailto:ray.yeung@greenpeace.org">ray.yeung@greenpeace.org</a><br /> Phone：2854 8376</p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p>Tue, 21 Jun 2016 10:04:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurk1a0db12a-e2f4-4ac0-9656-9cfb64bc4cfahttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2016/15000-people-and-key-Yangtze-River-ecosystem-areas-in-close-proximity-to-Jiangsu-Deqiao-Chemical-Storage-facility-fire-Greenpeace/15,000 people and key Yangtze River ecosystem areas in close proximity to Jiangsu Deqiao Chemical Storage facility fire, GreenpeaceBeijing, 23 April, 2016 - Yesterday morning at 09:40 the Jiangsu Deqiao Chemical Storage facility in Jingjiang city, Jiangsu Province, caught fire. The facility, located next to the Yangtze River, stores up to 56 chemicals categorised as ‘hazardous’ by the Chinese government. Greenpeace East Asia analysis has found that up to 15,000 people live within 5km of the site. A number of water and ecosystem protection areas are also in close proximity to the facility. The accident is yet another example of the worrying lack of oversight and management of China’s chemical industry, and a reminder of the risks this poses to ecosystems and citizens across the country.<p dir="ltr"><span>“Not a week has passed since the Changzhou ‘toxic school’ case, and already another potentially dangerous chemicals disaster has hit the news”, said Greenpeace East Asia</span><span> toxics campaign assistant manager, Cheng Qian.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“The government must urgently investigate the dangers hazardous chemicals in China pose to people and the environment and act to prevent these all-too-common incidents from occurring again.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Jiangsu Deqiao Chemical Storage facility’s January 2016 Environmental Impact Assessment states that the facility poses high risks to the adjacent environmentally sensitive area. Within 5km of the facility there are a total of 28 villages, housing up to 15,000 people. The closest village is just 335 meters from the storage facility. Moreover, two drinking water protection areas (Qingsha Protected Area and Yaqiao Protected Area) and three Ecological Protection Areas are located close to the facility.</span></p><p></p><div><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Jiangsu Deqiao Chemical Storage facility’s January 2016 Environmental Impact Assessment states that the facility poses high risks to the adjacent environmentally sensitive area. Within 5km of the facility there are a total of 28 villages, housing up to 15,000 people. The closest village is just 335 meters from the storage facility. Moreover, two drinking water protection areas (Qingsha Protected Area and Yaqiao Protected Area) and three Ecological Protection Areas are located close to the facility.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span><img class="CToWUd a6T" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/q7H4imOSTgiuCdbNMkf4kTmNhQ8x8e2C4gUGMmZZ50TStJ1D-lnsfdSJuBnYslcgcgl0rt_Fs-fiQwQTS2OWFgGuJ2KzGr6TemVaLng6sJkxnzbPrq2TJ6LQTEjsBkYtN0ftcFN4" alt="" width="455" height="309" /></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>‘Jiangsu Deqiao Chemical Storage Company Ltd. (Including Jingjiang Shuangjiang Port Company) Storage Zone and Pier </span><span>Adjustments and New </span><span>Project Environmental Impact Assessment Report’, January 2016 [1]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>On 19 April MEP Minister Chen Jining noted the problems in China’s chemicals industry, pointing out that 12% of hazardous chemical facilities nationwide are located within 1km of drinking water protection areas, important ecosystem protection areas and other environmentally sensitive zones. He also noted that 10% of facilities are located less than 1km from residential areas. [2]</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Earlier this year, President Xi Jinping called for environmental protection and ‘green development’ in the Yangtze River Economic Belt. [3] Yet, the Yangtze River is also seeing an expanding chemical industry , whose lax management of is one of the major threats to the region’s fragile environment and safety.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace urges the government to evaluate the hazards and long-term impacts of hazardous &nbsp;chemicals in use in China, and to develop a sound chemical management system that prevents industrial discharges, emissions and losses of hazardous chemicals into water bodies, air and soil.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Notes to Editor:</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] &nbsp;</span><a href="http://hbj.taizhou.gov.cn/module/download/downfile.jsp?classid=0&amp;filename=1601120942545126369.pdf" target="_blank"><span>http://hbj.taizhou.gov.cn/module/download/downfile.jsp?classid=0&amp;filename=1601120942545126369.pdf</span></a></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[2] &nbsp;<a href="http://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2016-04-20/999551.html" target="_blank">http://www.nbd.com.cn/articles/2016-04-20/999551.html</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[3] &nbsp;</span><a href="http://xw.qq.com/news/20160107049460/NEW2016010704946006" target="_blank"><span>http://xw.qq.com/news/20160107049460/NEW2016010704946006</span></a></p><p></p><p>Media Contact:</p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p></div>Sat, 23 Apr 2016 08:16:00 Ztoxicsamcgurkb15e6d8a-6f1a-4ee9-a316-1fa44a88b4aahttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2016/Pollution-linked-to-cases-of-cancer-in-Changzhou-middle-school--Greenpeace-response/Pollution linked to cases of cancer in Changzhou middle school – Greenpeace responseBeijing, 18 March, 2016 – The news that nearly 500 pupils in Changzhou Foreign Languages School have fallen ill, some diagnosed with cancer, most likely due to extremely high levels of groundwater and soil pollution in the school’s vicinity, is yet another reminder of the seriousness of China’s hazardous chemical pollution. Moreover, the fact that the school earlier this year claimed to have solved the pollution problem points to the gaping holes in hazardous chemical management in China.<p></p><p>“The tragedy that has occurred in Changzhou shows just how dangerously lax China’s hazardous chemical management is,” said Greenpeace East Asia toxics campaign manager, Ada Kong.</p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The Changzhou Foreign Languages School is located adjacent to a former chemicals plant. The environmental evaluation conducted before the construction of the school suggested that pollution was serious and advised that schools, housing or other public facilities should not be constructed in the area. However, the evaluation only included normal pollutants. It did not assess the presence of other hazardous chemicals related to the site’s former use. A more comprehensive evaluation could have exposed the severity of the risks of building on the site</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The school was also reportedly using groundwater that was deemed unfit for human use by the environmental evaluation</span><span>.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The chemicals reportedly found in groundwater and soil at the site include chloroform and benzene, both of which are listed on China’s ‘Hazardous Chemicals List’ and are known to have serious health, including carcinogenic properties, and environmental impacts.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>Greenpeace calls on the government to investigate the precise origins of this incident and to establish a comprehensive hazardous chemicals management system to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.</span></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contact:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861<br /> <br />Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Mon, 18 Apr 2016 07:19:00 Ztoxicsamcgurka8df6b90-3c63-44ae-80c6-73d37fa05b22http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/Data-shows-Chinas-economy-is-breaking-free-from-coal---Greenpeace/Data shows China’s economy is breaking free from coal - GreenpeaceBeijing, 15 April, 2016 - A trove of data on economic performance in the first quarter of 2016, released by China’s National Bureau of Statistics this morning, shows that while China’s overall economy saw some improvement, coal use and CO2 continue to fall. Electricity consumption grew 3% year on year, but growth in non-fossil energy pushed fossil power generation down by over 2%. Coal output fell by a dramatic 5%, as coal-fired power generation and steel output was scaled back.<p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Today’s data shows that China’s economy is breaking free from coal,” said Greenpeace’s senior campaigner on coal, </span><span>Lauri Myllyvirta.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>“Clean energy is booming and the economic structure is shifting rapidly away from smokestack industries. This is major news for China and the whole world.”</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The dramatic remaking of China’s economic structure is highlighted by the widening gap between growth in power demand from the “old” and “new” economic sectors. Manufacturing electricity consumption was flat while demand from service and household sectors grew 11%.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>The rapid reduction in China’s reliance on coal and coal-fired power is a boon for global efforts to fight climate change, but should also draw more attention to ballooning overcapacity in coal-fired power and heavy industry. As a legacy of the country’s coal boom, China still has the equivalent of 300 large coal-fired power plants under construction, despite massive overcapacity. [1] A ban on issuing new permits for coal-fired power plants must be implemented and existing overcapacity curtailed.</span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><span>[1] The Greenpeace report ‘Is China Doubling Down on its Coal Power Bubble’ can be seen </span><span><a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2016/Greenpeace_Doubling%20Down%20on%20Coal%20Power%202015%20(update).pdf">here</a></span></p><p></p><p dir="ltr"><strong>Media contacts:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861</p><p></p><p>Lauri Myllyvirta,<br />Senior Campaigner, Coal, Greenpeace<br />email: lauri.myllyvirta@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +85264113465</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p>Fri, 15 Apr 2016 03:11:00 Zclimate & energyamcgurkc1cd37dc-8ea8-4c5a-83ec-08125c816fechttp://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/toxics/2016/More-than-80-of-shallow-groundwater-wells-in-China-unfit-for-human-use-Greenpeace-reaction/More than 80% of shallow groundwater wells in China unfit for human use, Greenpeace reactionBeijing, 12 April, 2016 – Yesterday's announcement from China’s Ministry of Water Resources (MWR) that more than 80% of tested shallow groundwater wells in China are polluted and unfit for human use is another stark warning of the extent of groundwater pollution in China.<p>“Water pollution in China is every bit as serious an issue as air pollution,” said Greenpeace East Asia toxics campaign manager Ada Kong.</p><p></p><p>“It is a positive sign that the Ministry of Water Resources acknowledges the extent of the problem. The next step is to take serious action to tackle this crisis.”</p><p></p><p>In 2011 the National Groundwater Pollution Prevention Plan promised 34 billion rmb to tackle water pollution. In the ‘Water Ten’ action plan, issued April 2015, the&nbsp;Ministry of Environmental Protection (MEP)&nbsp;pledged to control water quality deterioration by 2020. Currently, however, the roles and responsibilities of the MEP and the MWR in these plans are unclear. Coordination between the two ministries must be strengthened.</p><p></p><p>This is the first time that the MWR has included groundwater quality into its monthly groundwater report. Collecting such information and making it public is a step in the right direction. However, the testing does not take deep groundwater, which many urban areas rely on, into account and is not coordinated with the MEP’s groundwater tests.</p><p></p><p>Groundwater pollution is a massive problem in China which is in urgent need of attention. Greenpeace East Asia urges the government to include deep groundwater in its testing. Crucially, MEP and MWR cooperation must be both clarified and strengthened. Greenpeace East Asia will continue to monitor the government’s progress in achieving the targets of the National Groundwater Pollution Prevention Plan and ‘Water Ten’.</p><p></p><p>&nbsp;</p><p></p><p><strong>Media contact:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia<br />email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:tom.baxter@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">tom.baxter@greenpeace.org</a><br />phone:&nbsp;<a href="tel:%2B86%20188%201134%204861" target="_blank">+86 188 1134 4861</a></p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />Email:&nbsp;<a href="mailto:pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org" target="_blank">pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org</a><br />phone:&nbsp;<a href="tel:%2B31%20%280%29%2020%20718%202470" target="_blank">+31 (0) 20 718 2470</a>&nbsp;(available 24 hours)</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace. We are a non-profit organisation with a presence in 40 countries. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants.<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia" target="_blank">www.greenpeace.org/eastasia</a></p>Tue, 12 Apr 2016 06:24:00 ZtoxicsTom Baxtere99e124c-b8da-42d5-9c11-8362367bed36http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/press/releases/climate-energy/2016/45-of-Chinas-coal-fired-power-plants-in-areas-of-water-over-withdrawal-Greenpeace/45% of China’s coal-fired power plants in areas of ‘water over-withdrawal’, GreenpeaceBeijing, 22 March, 2016 – 45% of coal-fired power plants in China are located in areas of ‘water over-withdrawal’, a ground-breaking Greenpeace study of the coal industry’s impact on the global water crisis shows. Every year these power plants consume quantities of water equivalent to the basic requirements of 186 million people. Moreover, 48% of proposed coal-fired power plants in China are located in the same ‘water over-withdrawal’ areas. Greenpeace urges the Chinese government to act immediately to secure China’s water resources and prevent further ecosystem damage.<p>“Not only does coal pollute our skies and fuel climate change, it also deprives us of life’s most basic need, water,” said Harri Lammi, a Greenpeace senior global campaigner on coal.</p><p></p><p>“In China an overlapping of rich coal reserves, water scarcity and fragile ecosystems makes the problem especially pronounced. Yet China continues to expand coal power plants in these regions. This must be halted.”</p><p></p><p>The report, <em>The Great Water Grab</em>, is the result of collaboration between Greenpeace and Dutch engineering consultancy Witteveen+Bos. It utilises data from Platts World Electric Power Plant Database and the World Resources Institute’s Aqueduct water risk analysis model. The study maps areas of water stress and current and proposed power plants and coal mines and is the first global plant-by-plant study of the coal industry’s current and future water demand.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace East Asia selected the Kuye River basin, located in China’s ‘energy golden triangle’ and an important tributary of the Yellow River, as a case study for China’s water-coal conflict. Fieldwork shows that the Kuye River’s water flow has already dropped and now runs only intermittently. It is also estimated that by 2020 the river basin’s coal industry alone will consume 105% of the whole basin’s projected total water supply [1]. Furthermore, in non-flood season water quality in the basin has been graded as ‘Inferior V’, below the quality considered suitable for agricultural use.</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace East Asia urges the Chinese government to call an immediate moratorium on coal industry projects in areas of water over-withdrawal and transition towards renewable energy sources, which consume little to no water. Moreover, China’s reduction of over-capacity in the coal industry should prioritise those power plants located in water over-withdrawal areas.</p><p></p><p align="left">[1] Projected total annual water volume as according to the EIA report of the Integrated Plan of the Kuye River Basin, <a href="http://www.yellowriver.gov.cn/zwzc/gzgb/gg/201403/P020140326615862181717.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.yellowriver.gov.cn/zwzc/gzgb/gg/201403/P020140326615862181717.pdf</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Notes to editor:</strong></p><p></p><p align="left">1)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <em>‘The Great Water Grab: How the coal industry is deepening the global water crisis</em>’ can be downloaded here: <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/thegreatwatergrab" target="_blank">http://www.greenpeace.org/thegreatwatergrab</a></p><p></p><p align="left">2)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; A media briefing on Greenpeace East Asia’s Kuye River case study can be downloaded here: <a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2016/GPEA_How%20Coal%20Production%20Aggravates%20the%20Global%20Water%20Crisis_FN.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia/Global/eastasia/publications/reports/climate-energy/2016/GPEA_How%20Coal%20Production%20Aggravates%20the%20Global%20Water%20Crisis_FN.pdf</a></p><p></p><p align="left">3)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Images of the Kuye River case study can be downloaded here: <a href="http://photo.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJ6DF0WI" target="_blank">http://photo.greenpeace.org/collection/27MZIFJ6DF0WI</a></p><p></p><p><strong>Media contact:</strong></p><p></p><p>Tom Baxter,<br />International Communications Officer, Greenpeace East Asia,<br />email: tom.baxter@greenpeace.org<br />phone: +86 188 1134 4861</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace International Press Desk<br />email: pressdesk.int@greenpeace.org,<br />phone: +31 (0) 20 718 2470 (available 24 hours)</p><p></p><p>Greenpeace stands for positive change through action to defend the natural world and promote peace. We are a non-profit organisation with a presence in 40 countries. To maintain its independence, Greenpeace does not accept donations from governments or corporations but relies on contributions from individual supporters and foundation grants.<a href="http://www.greenpeace.org/eastasia" target="_blank">www.greenpeace.org/eastasia</a></p>Wed, 23 Mar 2016 04:15:00 Zclimate & energyTom Baxter